Pilot programme launched to stop pigeon-feeding
A total of 682 enforcement notices were issued for pigeon-feeding offences over the past three years.
Senior Parliamentary Secretary for National Development Sun Xueling said that the National Parks Board (NParks) conducts surveillance at pigeon-feeding hotspots and partners with the National Environmental Agency (NEA) and town councils to educate residents about the environmental health and hygiene concerns around feeding pigeons.
MP Lim Biow Chuan (Mountbatten SMC) asked if more could be done - such as heavier penalties for pigeon-feeding offences, or increasing the manpower given to NParks to step up patrols.
Ms Sun cited a pilot programme launched in Yio Chu Kang where cameras are used to nab residents found feeding pigeons and images of these offenders are put up around the neighbourhood to deter such behaviour and "create community awareness".
MP Foo Mee Har (West Coast GRC) asked if the pilot programme could be rolled out to other neighbourhoods.
Ms Sun said she thinks "we probably would have to distil it further, and work closely with the local MPs and grassroots advisers to see how we can adapt it for use in the local community".
MP Louis Ng (Nee Soon GRC) also weighed in on the issue, asking if it was possible to increase the manpower for surveillance and emphasised that culling pigeons was not an option.
"The more you cull, the more pigeons you have. So I really hope that this pilot that SPS has mentioned, we can roll out nation-wide so that we can now effectively tackle this problem," said Mr Ng, who is the founder of the wildlife rescue and animal welfare charity Acres.
Ms Sun responded that the town councils employ a variety of initiatives to resolve issues such as littering and pigeon-feeding, and culling is one of the many solutions.
She added that The Ministry of National Development is looking into other measures, including the use of bird contraceptives, to manage the pigeon population.
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