The National Parks Board (NParks) refers to the Forum letter, “Do more to curb growing bird nuisance” (May 27), and thanks the writer for the feedback.
Rock pigeons and house crows are not native to Singapore but are invasive species that compete with our native species. Their droppings dirty the environment and cause disamenities like the soiling of clothes. House crows are particularly protective of their young and may attack when the chicks are in the nest or when they sense that their young are threatened.
NParks takes a community- and science-based approach towards the management of invasive bird species. This involves the removal of human food sources, habitat modification, population control strategies such as nest removal and crow trapping, and studies to understand the ecology of the birds such as their roosting and foraging patterns.
The public can help to reduce the population growth of these invasive species by not feeding them and ensuring that food scraps are properly disposed of. Residents should also not leave food for birds on window sills, or commit high-rise littering by throwing food out of windows.
NParks works with other agencies, such as the National Environment Agency, and town councils to manage the pigeon and crow population, such as by reducing food sources for them and managing waste at food establishments. NParks also partners agencies and town councils to educate the community on proper refuse management, and to remind the public to refrain from feeding these birds and to maintain the cleanliness of the environment.
Feeding pigeons and crows is illegal and offenders can be fined up to $10,000 under the Wildlife Act. NParks monitors feedback on illegal pigeon and crow feeding and undertakes active enforcement. This includes conducting human surveillance as well as deploying CCTV cameras at identified feeding hot spots. If the public can provide detailed and key information, such as the date, time, location, and photos of the feeding activity, that will be useful in helping us identify and engage the feeder.
To ensure that population control is carried out in a humane and safe manner and does not result in animal cruelty, NParks uses internationally accepted and science-based standards as benchmarks when choosing suitable depopulation methods. Thus, we adopt the more humane method of trapping and subsequent euthanasia.
We will continue to work closely with the community and stakeholders on the management of invasive bird species.
Adrian Loo (Dr)
Group Director, Wildlife Management
National Parks Board