Pigeon culling among measures to be stepped up in pilot initiative at 3 town councils
Government agencies also aim to reduce human food sources for pigeons, by improving refuse and food waste management at bin centres and F&B establishments.https://www.channelnewsasia.com/sin...r-town-councils-pigeon-culling-nparks-4434341
SINGAPORE: 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.
The pilot plan, which will start this month, aims to actively manage the pigeon population in Singapore to safeguard public health and minimise disamenities.
This will be done by directly controlling the pigeon population and reducing food sources, said the town councils on Tuesday (Jun 25) in a joint media release with the National Parks Board (NParks), National Environment Agency (NEA) and Singapore Food Agency (SFA).
"As rock pigeons have high reproductive rates and few natural predators in Singapore, removal of pigeons is required to complement food source reduction measures in order to reduce the number of pigeons and prevent exponential population growth, especially in the near term," they said.
NParks will kickstart the pilot plan, with the town councils subsequently taking over the management of the pigeon population in their areas.
The pigeons will be removed "humanely" by trapping, followed by the use of carbon dioxide.
To address welfare concerns and increase the efficacy of operations, NParks has also developed a set of guidelines for town councils that use the drug alpha-chloralose to cull pigeons.
Under the guidelines, contractors engaged by the town councils should select a site and time where the highest number of birds gather.
The contractors should be familiar with the required dosage and administer the right dosage accordingly. They should also be present during the entire operation to monitor the situation, and intervene if other birds or animals appear.
An extended sweep of the area of baiting should be conducted to make sure all carcasses and affected pigeons are removed.
The actual number of pigeons that will be culled differs for each area. NParks will work with each town council to bring the pigeon population down to a level that reduces their impact and at the same time, can be sustained in the long term.
REDUCING FOOD SOURCES
Measures will also be taken to reduce human food sources for pigeons.Pigeons reproduce at a faster rate when they have access to resources such as food and shelter, resulting in "exponential population growth", the release read.
According to a 2021 NParks study, the number of rock pigeons at hawker centres dropped during the COVID-19 pandemic due to restrictions on dining-in, as there was less access to human food.
Rock pigeons were observed to have devoted more time foraging for food and had less time for resting, which impacted their reproductive capacity, said the agencies.
Hence, under the pilot plan, NEA and SFA will work with the three town councils as well as stakeholders such as the hawkers’ associations, food shop operators and cleaning contractors to improve refuse and food waste management at bin centres and food establishments.
This includes ensuring prompt clearance of food waste, trays and dirty crockery at tray return racks and refuse bins, which will help to reduce food sources for the pigeons, said the agencies and town councils.
SFA will take enforcement action against food establishments that do not comply.
NParks will also monitor feedback on illegal bird feeding and take active enforcement action, such as physical surveillance and deploying closed-circuit television cameras at identified feeding hotspots.
The town councils and agencies said they will continue to educate the community on the importance of reducing human food sources for pigeons.
"The community’s support is critical to keep the pigeon population down," they said.
