SINGAPORE: Local animal rights advocacy group ACRES issued a statement on Thursday (Nov 15) regarding a man allegedly feeding pigeons poisoned “yellowish rice”.
The incident occurred at Blocks 616 to 620 Choa Chu Kang.
ACRES (Animal Concerns Research and Education Society Singapore) said that people spotted birds lying on the ground with their eyes closed several times.
“This is because they are victims of food poisoning,” the ACRES said.
It added that a man had been seen picking up the birds’ carcasses in the area shortly afterwards.
Due to the nature of the man’s actions, ACRES advised residents of the area to take extra precautions when they bring their dogs out for walks and to watch out for cats in the community who may also have consumed the poisoned rice.
The group also wrote that upon conducting initial investigations, it determined that the Marsiling-Yew Tee town council had not issued the notice posted on lift lobbies regarding the incident.
The notice had appealed to residents to look out for the man who had fed “yellowish rice” to the pigeons.
The man seen in the photos included in the notice is not related to the town council’s bird management operations, ACRES added.
The group is asking the public to report suspicious activities, such as the alleged pigeon poisoning, to NParks and/or the police.
“ACRES will continue to appeal to town councils to address the root cause of urban bird population increase and move away from inhumane culling,” the group added.
Pigeons are common in Singapore. However, they are identified as pests because their droppings mess up buildings, vehicles, and public spaces.
ACRES also invited people interested in learning more about urban bird issues to join its upcoming open house on Nov 23.
The open house is the kickoff to ACRES’ Festive Season Fundraising Campaign and will be held at 91 Jalan Lekar.
The seven-hour event will feature a talk from Anbarasi (Anbu) Boopal on “Urban birds in Singapore: What about human roles?”
Ms Boopal is the co-CEO of the group and has more than 15 years of experience in animal protection issues and wildlife rescues.
She also heads the campaigns and advocacy programs with a team that includes the Animal Crime Investigations Unit, the Education team, and the communications department. /TISG
Read also: Pigeon stool problem at Blocks 333 to 335 Kang Ching Road
