Chana, Thailand, March 29 (Xinhua) -- In Songkhla Province, southern Thailand, the breeding industry of the spotted dove has become an important source of income for local residents. The annual Dove Chirping Contest attracts thousands of farming enthusiasts from all over the world.
The Chana county of Songkhla is famous for its cultivation of the spotted doves. The bird was previously only caught in the mountains, but after successful captive breeding in 1969, the local dove was bred. Some Thais believe that the bird can bring good luck to the family.
There are currently about 1,600 pigeon farms in Chana County, of which 40 are large farms with about 200 to 400 breeders per farm and 20 to 40 employees on small farms. The cultivation of the spotted dove has solved the local employment problem to a certain extent.
The call of the dove is pleasant to the ear. Thailand holds about 6 times a year a large-scale spotted dove chirping competition, which attracts thai provinces and aquaculture enthusiasts from all over the world. The competition mainly judges the sound effects, melody and other aspects of the call of the spotted dove. The award-winning Dove is very valuable. According to reports, there was a spotted dove that was bought by the buyer for 1.7 million baht (about 320,000 yuan).
According to the Chana-heed Dove Breeding Association, 30% of the county's residents are farming doves, and the production and sale of aquaculture-related products, such as bird cages and bird food, can also bring rich income to residents.
The exporters of the Thai dove are mainly Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, and the cultivation of the dove can bring 100 million baht (19 million yuan) of local income per year.