A racing pigeon from Belgium has set a new world record after being sold for more than £1.4million.
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New Kim, a three-year-old female, was initially put up for auction for just €200, but after a two-week bidding war she fetched a staggering €1.6 million.
During a frantic last half-hour, two Chinese bidders operating under the pseudonyms of Super Duper and Hitman drove up the price by £251,000 (€280,000). Super Duper submitted the winning bid.
The bird's breeder and owner Kurt Van de Wouwer said he and his family were 'in shock' at the news.
© Provided by Evening StandardNikolaas Gyselbrecht, founder of Pipa auction house for racing pigeons, shows off the prized bird
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The final total left the previous record set by fellow Belgian-bred bird, Armando, trailing behind by around £314,000 (€350,000).
Armando, who was nicknamed the 'Lewis Hamilton of pigeons' for his racing prowess, was retired when he was put up for sale in 2019.
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New Kim, a three-year-old female, was initially put up for auction for just €200, but after a two-week bidding war she fetched a staggering €1.6 million.
During a frantic last half-hour, two Chinese bidders operating under the pseudonyms of Super Duper and Hitman drove up the price by £251,000 (€280,000). Super Duper submitted the winning bid.
The bird's breeder and owner Kurt Van de Wouwer said he and his family were 'in shock' at the news.
© Provided by Evening StandardNikolaas Gyselbrecht, founder of Pipa auction house for racing pigeons, shows off the prized bird
REUTERSGame Pigeon Sea Battle Strategy
The final total left the previous record set by fellow Belgian-bred bird, Armando, trailing behind by around £314,000 (€350,000).
Armando, who was nicknamed the 'Lewis Hamilton of pigeons' for his racing prowess, was retired when he was put up for sale in 2019.
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Video: Meet Belgian racing pigeon worth over £1.4m (Sky News)
New Kim won a number of competitions in 2018 but has also now retired.
Belgians have long stood out as the best breeders, both because of their generations-long experience.
'Everybody is interested in our pigeons,' Pascal Bodengien, head of the Belgian pigeon federation, explained.
'To be the best, it has to be your life's work. For some, it may seem boring. Day in, day out. Winter and summer, always those pigeons.'
China often features one-loft racing, where pigeons are housed in a single coop for months and then released hundreds of miles away.
They must then use their unique sense of orientation and special speed training to make their way back.
Top prizes can reach into the tens of millions of euros.
