A resident in Yishun is so fed up with a woman feeding the birds in his neighbourhood that he has installed a CCTV camera outside his flat to catch her in the act.
The man, surnamed Chen, told Shin Min Daily News that over the past year, the woman, whom he said looks to be in her 60s, has been tossing slices of bread onto the grass patch near Block 148 Yishun Street 44.
She used to only feed the birds occasionally, but has been throwing down bread at 5am almost every day in the past month, Chen said.
“I’ve seen over 50 birds at the grass patch,” lamented the 49-year-old.
This is despite a signboard put up by the Nee Soon Town Council at the location informing the public to report bird feeders and that the act is an offence.
According to the Wildlife Act, those who feed birds and other wildlife can be fined up to S$10,000.
Reporting the woman to authorities is what Chen plans to do.
Last week, he purchased a camera for about $40 and installed it at his front door, with the intention of sending in the footage of the woman to the authorities.
“Aside from crows and pigeons, there are many other species of birds who would make noise every day, severely affecting our sleep, he said. ”It’s also a hygiene issue.”
Chen added that the woman’s actions have also made life difficult for the cleaners, who have to clear the bread slices.
Another resident, surnamed Wu, said that the birds would often flock to the grass patch in the evening and squawk loudly, and some residents would throw food scraps or fruit pits down from the block.
PHOTO: AsiaOne reader
A manager at the nearby coffee shop has also seen the woman feeding birds and cats in front of their premises. But she would ask the woman to leave, as the birds pose a hygiene risk to the food stalls.
Responding to AsiaOne’s queries, a Nee Soon Town Council spokesperson said it would like to remind residents that littering causes disamenities to the estate and affects others. Littering of food waste also attracts pests such as cockroaches and rodents.
“In our efforts to promote good neighbourliness, we conduct regular public education campaigns to advise residents not to litter, and not to feed pigeons,” added the spokesperson.
“If necessary, we involve the National Parks Board (NParks) and National Environment Agency (NEA) when addressing feedback on bird feeding and littering. The agencies help with active enforcement actions if needed.”
Efforts to curb pigeon numbers in 3 hotspots
As of Nov 20, 2023, NParks had received 7,016 cases of pigeon-related feedback that year and recorded 170 cases of enforcement action against illegal bird feeding over the same period, according to a Straits Times report in December 2023.
In 2022, there were 7,039 pigeon-related complaints, and 233 cases where enforcement action was taken.
On Tuesday (June 25), NParks, NEA and the Singapore Food Agency announced that efforts to control the rock pigeon population in the Ang Mo Kio, Bishan-Toa Payoh and Tanjong Pagar town council estates will be stepped up from June to December. This will be done by reducing food sources and culling the invasive species.
The community’s support is critical in keeping the pigeon population down, said the agencies, adding that members of the public can help reduce population growth by not feeding the birds and ensuring that food waste is properly disposed of.
This article was first published in AsiaOne and republished on theAsianparent with permission.