Essential Pigeons

A speculative story inspired by Greater Sydney’s 2021 Lockdown questioning how we decide and subsequently value what is ‘essential’

The year is 2021 and Greater Sydney has begun its second lockdown. The city is deserted and the humans’ demands for services rise exponentially. However, with the lack of vaccines and proper support, essential workers struggle to keep up with the mounting pressure. Facing demands for action, the government concludes that the issue lies in inadequate staffing and  hatches a brilliant plan to make use of an aid already abundant in the streets. With an already promising history in human-assistance, expectations are soaring for the pigeon to be the answer to our essential workers plight. One by one, every bird found nesting at key services around Sydney are given everything they need to work the job - a name, and a nametag. But are these Rock Doves really capable of stepping up to be Essential Pigeons?