I don’t get why people have a hard time leaving animals alone. Or in cases where some intervention is needed to preserve the animal, they expect something in return.
Weird and shameful, imho.
I cannot speak for pigeons as I am a human, but if I was fed, watered, had a comfortable home, often with radio or TV, high quality medical care, and in return I fly a few times a week? Sign me up!
They are breed for the purpose of flight (or sometimes looks). They cannot be "left alone" as they're not quite the same as feral pigeons.
There is absolutely no shame in keeping pigeons, caring for them, and racing them.
It is true that some pigeons do not make it home. That's not to say that they have died, but perhaps got lost or "mysteriously" disappeared as in the article of this thread.
I agree that it large portions of pigeons were dying with each race that it would be terrible, but in practice this is often not the case.
Likewise, if pigeons fly home wounded their owners often stitch them up and care for them. If the wound is too much, then they can be unfortunately killed to remove the pain.
Compare this with feral pigeons ... The difference in "lifestyle" between them is stark.