Exclusive | Racing Pigeons | Durban | South Africa | Mark Raubenheimer

Profile and Interview with Mark Raubenheimer

1. What made you get into this sport?

"Well, my dad used to race pigeons after World War One and I took an interest in the sport from watching him. It started when I was around 10 years old. I had a lot of help from my Uncle, Dave Foster."

2. How does your family feel about your passion?

"My family is fantastic. They support me through everything, and enjoy whatever I enjoy. In fact, my younger son is showing a keen interest in birds, have acquired a number of parrots and fancy pigeons. They love the fact that I win!"

3. When did you make your first racing pigeon purchase?

"My first international purchase was in 1999. Prior to that I had many pigeons with the support of Dave Foster. As a young boy I was in the army in 1973, and had to give up my birds. In 1975, after I got married, I picked it up again."

4. How many birds do you currently have?

"Gosh, I currently have in the region of 800 birds."

5. How much of time do you spend at your lofts?

"I spend around 4-5 hours daily with my birds."

6. Why did you choose Mount Moreland as a base?

"I chose Mount Moreland for my home and lofts because of the great environment that exists here. It’s a beautiful, open setting with the air being much better due to the distance from the city. Another thing that I found appealing is that there are virtually no distractions here."

7. How many races have you won?

"Too many to count!"

8. Tell me about the birds with a famous pedigree.

"I am proud to say that I have travelled to Belgium and personally selected Janssen and van Loon racing pigeons. I have close to 300 van Loon pigeons and 80 Janssen’s at the moment."

9. What do you use as feed?

"I use a nutritional grain hand selected from my trusted suppliers. I use maize with a high content of fatty acid, sorghum, brown rice, sunflower seeds, and protein rich peas and lentils. I also make use of a high quality pellet, which is a perfect balance of all the nutrients that the birds need. Due to their nutritional needs being met, my birds thrive."

10. What training program do you follow?

"I follow a rigorous training program up until before the first race. The young ones go through an orientation process with them being built up slowly. I start with flying them around my house first, then 5km, then 8km, 10km and so on, until they are able to reach 200 km."

11. Tell me about any unusual incidents that have happened at the Mount Moreland lofts?

"Due to where we are situated, we have our fair share of snakes and hawks. From December 2012 to January 2013, I found and had to relocate 14 black mambas. Theses predators have attacked and killed many of my young birds."

12. How often do you purchase new birds?

"I purchase birds quite often. I am expecting one to arrive from Belgium any day now, and in August I have another 8 on the way from Ireland and the United States of America."

13. Tell me how to interact with hatchlings?

"All my birds are bred in independent pens. From ringing the young ones at 5 days old, to individual feeding, they start familiarizing themselves with me and get used to being handled."

14. What steps do you take to prevent illnesses?

"This is a huge issue in our sport because the pigeons are susceptible to so many different viruses. My approach is a non-fractured one where I am consistent with Integrated healthcare, including world class medication, feeding, exercise, fresh water, sanitation and vitamins. I never break the routine that I have."

15. How do the pigeons react to the barn swallow migration?

"The pigeons aren’t really affected by it. They view the swallows as wildlife, so it does not pose a problem for me."

16. Do you see this sport growing in future?

"Although there has been a significant increase in the growth of the racing pigeon sport in Johannesburg and Cape Town, Durban has seen a limited growth. The fanciers in Durban are however, making efforts to grow it and have noticed that the sport is attracting a lot of attention from people who come from previously disadvantaged backgrounds."

17. How often do your birds race?

"I race my birds weekly or every 2 weeks during the racing season from 1 June to the end of September, when the weather is cooler."

18. What are the common misconceptions about pigeon racing?

"People are still are the impression that we treat our pigeons cruelly, but they are just not aware of the management that we adopt to ensure the health and humane treatment of our birds."

19. What advise can you give to others who want to start pigeon racing?

"Definitely to find yourself a good mentor who will give you constant guidance, secondly make sure that you start acquiring good pigeons."

Contact Mark on +27837901708 or raubenheimerl.m@telkomsa.net