BYE BYE BIRDIE

Joe the Pigeon Flew Across the Pacific. Now Australia Wants Him Dead.

Authorities are considering hiring professional bird catchers to nab the pigeon, who they fear could compromise the nation’s wildlife.

Australian authorities are considering hiring professional bird catchers to capture and ultimately kill a pigeon that flew to the country all the way from Oregon. The pigeon—named “Joe,” after President-elect Joe Biden—was discovered in the backyard of Kevin Celli-Bird in Melbourne on Dec. 26. He had gone missing from a pigeon race two months prior. As Joe is not native to Australia, the nation’s agriculture department said in a statement he “could compromise Australia’s food security and our wild bird populations.” Celli-Bird, however, says he can’t catch Joe. “I think that he just decided that since I’ve given him some food and he’s got a spot to drink, that’s home,” he told the AP.