Forum: Prioritise education and preventive measures instead of culling crows

In 1970, a concerned citizen writing under the name “Pigeon-Lover” wrote to The Straits Times in response to the “war on the pigeons in Empress Place”, suggesting that captured birds be given sanctuary. That year, many others wrote to object to the culling.

More than half a century later, we celebrate peregrine falcons and admire ornate sunbirds, yet regard pigeons and crows as pests to be eliminated.

In 2026, we’re waging a war on crows all over our island with guns. These birds are intelligent animals capable of problem-solving and forming complex social relationships. They live in close-knit, multi-generational families where juveniles often stay on to help care for younger siblings.

To shoot crows, contractors use devices that mimic crows in distress to draw in real crows to the site. What does it say of us when we exploit the very qualities we should admire in these animals, to lure them to their deaths?

Protecting native biodiversity matters, but does that mean all methods of population control are acceptable? Birds like crows and pigeons have also adapted to thrive in urban environments. Could we do more to address the human-wildlife conflict by prioritising education and other preventive measures, instead of culling?

A sustainable and compassionate society depends on how we respond to the vulnerable and the voiceless, not how efficiently we remove inconveniences from our lives. Do the disamenities and nuisance caused by urban birds justify such a response?

Charmaine Tan