KUSTIA: A horde of pigeons comes flocking once their master, Golam Mostafa, called them for their lunch, reports UNB.

Once their food is scattered near his feet, they start eating agreeably in silence.

It is a regular sight at the house of Golam Mostafa at the town’s Customs Intersection, whose hobby is to rear pigeons. His neighbours have started calling him a ‘pigeon lover’.

He currently rears over 105 types of pigeons, summing up to almost 700, a pair can cost as much as Tk 5,000-25,000.

The types of pigeons include Benarash, Chuithal, Kapchi, Galakasha, Shobujgala, Khakigala, Shahanpuri and a few other rare breeds of pigeons.

A handcraft trader by profession, Mostafa spends his leisure time with his birds.

He revealed to UNB that rearing them was his passion since childhood, as he used to love watching them flying in the air. He purchased his first pair back in 1976, a total of 12 pairs, with whom he began this journey.

Initially, his rented house could not accommodate so many birds, but after acquiring his own house in Customs Intersection area, now he can rear them peacefully.

Mostafa built his pigeon sheds using narrow rods, where pigeons often lay eggs to babies. But he explained that this was not for any commercial purpose, nor in the hopes of any income generation.

If one wishes, he said, one can do so and easily earn up to Tk 30,000-40,000 a month.

A pair of Shobujchaya pigeons can fetch up to Tk 25,000, while a pair of Khakikala pigeons can cost Tk 5,000.

But, he said, the price varies based on the fact how high they can fly.

Mostafa added that he spends Tk 15,000 on their food every month, which consist of wheat, corn, rice, mustard and other sorts.

They also love to eat vegetables occasionally, leading him to open up rooftop farming to make it easier.

Usually healthy, the pigeons are prone to illness during the winter, when he takes them to the local veterinarian, who gives them calcium tablets and water laced with vitamins A and D.

He wakes up every day at 5 in the morning to start taking care of his pigeons, which goes on till 9 in the morning. His wife Rehana Parveen Parul and niece Humaira Farzana help him regularly with his chores.

His wife said Mostafa rears them like his own children, and cannot even think of selling even one of them.

He has spent his entire time of leisure behind their maintenance.

Mostafa said he frequently releases the pigeons from their sheds. “When they overtake each other, 700 in number in the air, it is a visual spectacle!”