Warning to couples

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The most beautiful day in the life of the bride and groom is at the expense of the animals.

(Bild: stock.adobe.com/popovich22 - stock.adobe.com)

Wedding celebrations are in high season in summer. Many bridal couples want to make their big day unforgettable for themselves and their families. Several program items and surprises are planned with great attention to detail. But letting pigeons fly is no longer in keeping with the times and can earn the couple angry looks from animal-loving guests.

They are considered a symbol of love and fidelity because they stay together with a chosen partner for life - doves. People who get married usually have the same wish. And so the "release" (letting fly) of white doves has become a popular wedding custom.

Less romantic is the way some birds ordered by mouse click probably feel about the procedure: "The transportation in small boxes, the separation from their partner, the noise at a wedding, the sudden opening of the cages and the accompanying glare from bright lights, the attack by strangers: All of this means immense stress for sensitive animals," says Veronika Weissenböck from the animal welfare organization "Vier Pfoten".

How to avoid animal suffering at a party

• Do not bring in pigeons or other animals for "amusement".
• Offer pets, such as dogs, a place to retreat away from the hustle and bustle.
• Avoid helium balloons - they end up as plastic waste in the environment and can harm wild animals.
• Fireworks almost always panic animals (wild, farm and domestic)!

What's more, a large proportion of disoriented "ornamental pigeons" starve to death or are killed by birds of prey after being "released". Is that supposed to be a good omen for a marriage?

Often do not find their way home
The owl and bird of prey sanctuary in Haringsee, which takes in and cares for injured small wild animals, knows a thing or two about this: Again and again, weakened white pigeons are taken in that have obviously been released at weddings, are then completely disoriented and can no longer find their loft.

However, the problem already lies in the breeding: According to "Vier Pfoten", wedding pigeons are mainly bred for pretty looks and special plumage: "In the process, the good orientation skills that pigeons normally have are often lost," explains the head of the station in Haringsee, veterinarian Dr. Hans Frey. "If they are then released and don't know the area, they are completely helpless and have problems surviving in the wild."

Hans Frey runs the owl and bird of prey station in Haringsee. In addition to injured ospreys (pictured), disoriented nuptial pigeons also repeatedly end up in his care.

(Bild: © EGS | Stefan Knoepfer)

Sad end
It can happen that they fly into a window pane at the wedding and die. Or, in their panic, they come too close to an overhead line or other obstacle. Their striking coloring makes them stand out from a flock of pigeons and they are therefore the preferred prey of predators. "Not a pretty sight if this happens at the wedding itself," says Dr. Frey.

Haringsee is currently looking after four white pigeons that were found disoriented and brought to the team. Couples-to-be should consider whether they really want to put up with the suffering of animals for a spectacle that only lasts a few seconds.