Pigeon feeding: NParks took enforcement action against more than 400 cases in last 3 years
Three town council estates with large clusters of pigeons will step up culling efforts over the next six months.
by Firdaus Hamzah · CNA · JoinSINGAPORE: The National Parks Board (NParks) has taken enforcement action against 413 cases of pigeon feeding in the last three years.
There were 131 cases in 2021, 140 cases in 2022 and 142 cases last year, said NParks on Friday (Jun 28) in response to CNA's query.
"Enforcement action against pigeon feeding can take the form of the issuance of advisories, warnings, composition fines and prosecution," said the agency. It did not provide a breakdown of the number of fines or warnings issued.
Earlier this week, nature groups welcomed enforcement action against bird feeding, with one saying that penalties meted out to bird feeders should be publicised to deter others from following suit.
A pilot plan was announced on Tuesday to actively manage the pigeon population in Singapore to safeguard public health and minimise disamenities.
Three town council estates with large clusters of pigeons - Ang Mo Kio, Bishan-Toa Payoh and Tanjong Pagar - will be stepping up culling efforts over the next six months.
REPEAT OFFENDERS
NParks said it follows up on feedback about pigeon feeding by investigating, engaging or taking enforcement action against feeders.
However, some cases are "intractable", involving repeat offenders, said NParks' group director for wildlife management How Choong Beng.
For such cases, NParks works with the town councils, Municipal Services Office, People’s Association, and Agency for Integrated Care (AIC) "to try to understand the offenders’ motivations to find solutions to discourage them from continuing to feed birds".
For example, NParks may offer some feeders nature-based activities as alternatives to bird feeding, such as community gardening and birdwatching.
"For feeders with mental health needs, AIC will link them up with community care organisations to provide counselling or other forms of support," said Mr How.
MANAGING THE PIGEON POPULATION
Measures to control the pigeon population include food source reduction, habitat modification and population control.
Authorities also aim to reduce human-generated food sources by tackling high-rise littering and managing waste at food establishments and bin centres.
"Rock pigeons are a non-native species, and their flocking and roosting behaviour can result in soiling and hygiene issues," said Mr How.
He urged people to help reduce the population growth of pest birds by not feeding them and ensuring that food scraps are properly disposed of.
"Members of the public can also use the OneService mobile app to report cases of any wildlife feeding. Providing detailed and key information, such as the date, time, location, and photos or videos of the feeding activity will be useful in helping us identify and engage the feeders," he added.
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