Death of community cats, pet dog in Mei Ling Street: Animals not poisoned, NParks probe finds

SINGAPORE - Five community cats and a pet dog named Kuro found dead in Mei Ling Street, in Queenstown, in June 2024 did not die of poisoning, a six-month investigation concluded.

The probe was conducted by the National Parks Board’s (NParks) Animal and Veterinary Service, the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA).

It was launched after the first three community cats from Mei Ling Street died of suspected poisoning from pest control measures.

The deaths were revealed by SPCA in a Facebook post on June 28, 2024, calling for humane pest population control measures to be used.

A month later, an 11-year-old pet dog nibbled on breadcrumbs next to some dead pigeons and died later that night after suffering seizures.

In a reply to The Straits Times, Ms Jessica Kwok, NParks’ group director of enforcement and investigation, said NParks interviewed the community cat feeder who reported the cases, the dog owner, pest control operators and the attending veterinarians to gather relevant information.

The community cat feeder who flagged the cases to SPCA is retired sales promoter Piry Lim, 68. She discovered the dead pigeons in May 2024.

Ms Kwok said: “(We) also reviewed CCTV footage in the area, conducted post-mortem examinations of the animals where possible, and took into consideration the results of toxicology tests done by the HSA on samples retrieved from the animals and food found near the area.”

Food samples recovered near the area tested negative for toxicants found in the pigeon and rodent bait used by pest management companies operating in that area.

However, methomyl, a chemical substance used in insecticide, was found in one of the food samples and some dead birds found in the area. This chemical was not found in toxicology tests on samples obtained from the cats and dog.

“The collective findings showed no evidence that the cats and the dog died from poisoning,” Ms Kwok added.

The deaths of the cats examined were likely due to different underlying chronic disease conditions affecting major organs, including renal, respiratory and cardiac diseases, she said.

The post-mortem examination for the first cat was conducted by SPCA, while that for four others and the dog was done by NParks. One cat was too decomposed to discern its cause of death.

Pigeon removal efforts still continue

as the birds – particularly rock pigeons, which are a non-native species in Singapore – are seen as a nuisance because of their rapid growth in numbers, messy feeding and droppings.

Dr Shawn Lum, a senior lecturer at NTU’s Asian School of the Environment, said rock pigeons are native to parts of the Mediterranean, but have proven highly adaptable in urban settings everywhere.

“Its large population means that pigeons and other common species such as the Javan mynah or Asian glossy starling could potentially be a reservoir for diseases such as bird flu, which could jump from one species to another,” he said.

While there have not been any confirmed cases of people in Singapore getting sick from pigeons, town councils and agencies continue to manage the pigeon population “from a science and community-based approach... to safeguard public health and minimise disamenities”, said an NParks spokesman.

This comprises measures such as food source reduction, habitat modification and population control. 

Still, residents in housing estates continue to be concerned by the methods used in managing the bird numbers.

Ms Charlotte Chang, a resident in Henderson Crescent, in July 2024 wrote an e-mail to Ms Joan Pereira, an MP for Tanjong Pagar GRC, saying: “We saw many pigeons dead, some unconscious and some of the birds struggling, flapping their wings on a grass patch behind Block 105 and 106 Henderson Crescent... (Poisoning) causes unnecessary suffering to the birds and does not address the root cause of the population issue. It inflicts slow, painful deaths on pigeons and other urban birds like mynahs and crows.”

When asked, a spokeswoman for Tanjong Pagar Town Council (TPTC), which covers Mei Ling Street and Henderson Crescent, said it has ceased the culling method since the middle of 2024, after the introduction of a pigeon management plan by NParks.

“(TPTC) has adopted the trapping method instead of culling to manage the pigeon population. In line with this change, our pest control contractor has been instructed to no longer use the culling method,” she said.

The Straits Times also checked with several town councils on the methods used in controlling the pigeon population in their districts.

Both Holland-Bukit Panjang and Aljunied-Hougang town councils engage pest control operators licensed by the National Environment Agency.

Aljunied-Hougang Town Council does not use poison, but uses traps and sedatives instead, and the affected pigeons are removed from the estate areas.

At Holland-Bukit Panjang, where culling is being carried out, “the (pest control operator) will strictly adhere to all applicable guidelines, regulations and established industry best practices, ensuring that the procedure is carried out with safety, ethics and efficiency”, said its spokeswoman.

She added that efforts such as tree trimming, nest removal, cleaning in common areas, public education and enforcing regulations against illegal bird-feeding have made significant progress in reducing the bird population.

Senior Minister of State for National Development Sim Ann told Parliament in 2021 that NParks had worked with town councils to have them

move away from the use of toxins

and to adopt animal control measures and practices that are humane and safe.

NParks told The Straits Times that to ensure that pigeon removal efforts are carried out humanely, it removes pigeons by trapping and humanely euthanising them. It also advises town councils on proper removal methods.

It has also developed a set of guidelines on the use of a drug called alpha-chloralose for controlling problem populations of birds.

The guidelines include having the pest control operator choose a site and timeframe where the greatest number of birds have been observed to gather, in order to increase the efficacy of operations; administer the right dosage; and use carbon dioxide for the subsequent humane euthanasia of affected pigeons.

Pest control operators also have to put up safety signs to keep the public away, be present on site for the duration of the operations, and remove all carcasses and affected pigeons.

An initiative was carried out in the Ang Mo Kio, Bishan-Toa Payoh and Tanjong Pagar town council areas from June to December 2024 to improve rubbish and food waste management at bin centres and food establishments, and pigeons trapped were humanely euthanised.

NParks said the pilot has been extended as more time is needed to carry out the management programme and it is unable to share results as at now.

Mr Movin Nyanasengeran, vice-president of the Bird Society of Singapore and a PhD student at the National University of Singapore, told The Straits Times that unless culling is done in tandem with containing feeding opportunities and making less food easily available, it works only for the short term in reducing numbers immediately.

Dr Lum said all species occupy an “ecological niche”, or a role in the ecosystem.

“There are checks and balances in nature... limitations in food, habitable space, or the presence of predators or parasites that keep populations from expanding indefinitely.

“When species are taken out of an ecosystem, this can have ripple effects through the system. In some instances, if a species is reduced greatly in number, its predators might experience a shortage of food,” he explained.

However, he said pigeons in Singapore do not have many common natural predators.

“Culling by humans is the ecological analog to predation in a natural ecosystem. In ecosystems, when predation is high, prey populations drop, and when predator numbers decline, prey populations increase, leading to cycles of higher and lower populations in prey, he said.

“Unless access to food and nesting sites is reduced, we can expect that pigeon numbers will increase again.”