With millions of dollars in prize money at stake, high-value racing pigeons have become targets for theft. Is there really such a thing as a “pigeon mafia”? Canadian pigeon breeder Ryan Zonnekeyn told us, yes. Breeders and investigators tell 60 Minutes they believe international gangs are behind smuggling networks that breed the stolen pigeons to sell their offspring on the black market. To protect his birds, Zonnekeyn says he uses multiple cameras and has placed laser beams across his loft. Ruben Lanckriet, a pioneer in pigeon genetic testing, maintains a database of more than 100,000 birds. He hopes DNA tracing will help solve cases of missing pigeons. #pigeons #pigeonracing #belgium