‘I have it in my blood.’ La Puente man breeds carrier pigeons for life’s special moments

Rafael Chávez has dedicated part of his life to raising carrier pigeons.

The work that he considers his hobby has its rewards, such as the joy he brings to families celebrating and honoring some of life’s special moments.

Chávez, of Jalisco, Mexico, has been dedicated to “colombofilia” for more than 35 years. It’s an art that consists of the breeding and training of birds to turn them into carrier pigeons.

“I dedicate myself because I like it, it is something very beautiful, it is something very original,” said Chávez. “Since I was a child, and since Guadalajara, I have it in my blood.”

Chávez has released doves at quinceañera celebrations, weddings, funerals and many other special events, leaving indelible memories for thousands of people.

He has more than 300 pigeons that fulfill different functions. Some are for breeding and others for competitions, which have earned him thousands of dollars in prizes. The white pigeons, a symbol of peace, are the most popular.

“I have to train them [so] that they come back here, in my area,” says Chávez. “And now [at] two, three months, I start giving them 10, 20 miles, up to 400.”

Having spent their entire lives in captivity, it’s easy to think the pigeons are in immediate danger when they’re released. However, they have their own natural GPS that guides them.

That navigation and guidance system remains a mystery to science. But what is not a mystery is that they return to their place no matter where they are released. In some cases traveling great distances.

“The farthest they’ve come back? [Up to] 400 miles,” says Chávez. “My pigeons have also returned from Arizona and San Francisco.”

In addition to making a living and entertaining, Chávez is very proud of a great achievement.

“I am the first Mexican who started using white pigeons in the city of Los Angeles,” he said proudly.

Another of the great challenges that Chávez has, in addition to taking care of his “little ones,” as he calls them, is preventing hawks from killing them since they are part of the diet of these birds of prey.

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