Thousands of pigeons are missing in England in a 'Bermuda Triangle-style mystery'

Pigeon racing
Pigeon racing
(Image credit: Michael Steele/Getty Images)

Millions of people went about their business as usual last Saturday, utterly oblivious to the fact that it was "one of the very worst ever" days in pigeon racing history.

A week ago, some 9,000 birds were released from Peterborough, in eastern England, bound for the North East in what was supposed to be a three-hour race (yes, this is apparently a whole thing). But nearly a week later, The Sun reports that "thousands" of birds are still missing in "a ­Bermuda Triangle-style mystery."

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But the mystery might have a simple explanation: the pigeons simply wanted to ditch the rain in Peterborough this week and go on vacation. Expats in Majorca, Spain, claimed to The Sun that they'd come across at least several of the "tired and disorientated" British birds.

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.