International Crime Rings Target Priceless Racing Pigeons Across Belgium, Beyond

In Belgium’s Flemish racing-pigeon heartland, thieves are raiding lofts for birds worth more than luxury cars, and in some cases more than the homes they sit beside. Tom Van Gaver said the pigeons in his loft were worth about $10 million in total, and that the champion bird Finn helped produce offspring that sold for as much as $100,000 apiece. Van Gaver said the pigeons stolen from him were worth more than $1.6 million, a figure that captures how a niche sport became a high-value criminal target.

Finn’s theft was one of 35 pigeon robberies across Belgium over the last three years. The pattern has spread well beyond the country, with thefts also reported in Great Britain, South Africa and the United States. In a sport that began in Belgium in the 1800s, elite birds can command prices from 1,000 to 100,000 euros depending on quality, and one-loft races in South Africa, Thailand and the United States can offer prize money topping $1 million. That money has made top breeders and their birds part of a transnational black market.

Security has escalated just as fast. Belgian breeders have turned to drones that check lofts for weak points, laser sensors that trigger alarms and cameras connected to mobile apps so owners can watch their birds around the clock. Pascal Bodengien, head of the Belgian Pigeon Racing Federation, called the theft wave “extreme” and said, “not a week goes by without a theft somewhere.” Exact totals remain difficult to pin down because reporting and police investigations are not centralized, but one loft alone lost about 100,000 euros worth of pigeons in a single theft.

The damage is not only financial. Frans Bungeneers said a 2016 theft of about 60 birds left him crying because his life’s work had been “completely destroyed,” and it took years to rebuild. In Peasedown St John, Geoff and Catherine Cooper were among the victims whose case was linked by police to similar thefts across the U.K. and Europe, with images showing three hooded suspects loading pigeons into a bag. In Sidwell, Eastern Cape, 48 racing pigeons were stolen from Niezaam Jappie’s loft in 2025, and police said the break-in appeared calculated after surveillance cameras were disconnected.

What looks like an eccentric pastime has become a serious criminal economy. The homing instinct that once made pigeons valuable in ancient Egypt and during World War II now makes the best birds portable assets in an international theft network, with Belgium still at the center of the trade and thieves following the money wherever the lofts are vulnerable.