Singapore fines 67-year-old man US$3,560 for feeding pigeons
- V Rajandran had been fined twice before for flouting the city state’s rules on feeding wild animals. He said he had ‘nothing to say’ in his defence
- Intentionally feeding pigeons or any other wildlife is illegal in Singapore. Repeat offenders can face fines of up to US$7,500
V Rajandran threw slices of bread on the pavement and grass verge and continued to do so on 15 other occasions, despite being told that it is an offence to feed wildlife without written approval, the court heard.
The Singaporean was fined by a court on Friday for four charges under the Wildlife Act. Another 12 charges were taken into consideration.
Rajandran paid the fine in full. If he had not paid, he would have had to serve 16 days in jail.
The court heard that enforcement officers spotted Rajandran feeding birds in the vicinity of Aljunied Crescent on the morning of August 26, 2022.
The officers told him that it was an offence, but he fed the birds on at least 15 other occasions, the last being in December last year.
He would buy about S$20 to S$30 (US$15-$23) worth of bread each time, the court heard, or take rice from his leftover meals to feed the birds around the Geylang area.
Despite repeated engagement from enforcement officers asking him to stop, Rajandran did not.
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The court heard that he was fined S$450 (US$338) in February 2018 for flouting the Animals and Birds (Pigeons) Rules. In January 2020, he was fined another S$500 (US$376) for feeding stray pigeons.
The prosecutor from the National Parks Board (NParks) asked for a fine of between S$4,800 and S$5,600 (US$3,600-US$4,200), noting that Rajandran had been convicted of similar offences before and faced 16 charges in total.
He had just been fined S$3,700 (US$2,780) earlier on Friday for littering, noted the prosecutor.
Rajandran was unrepresented and listened to proceedings quietly.
Their droppings dirty the environment and cause disamenities like the soiling of clothes
When asked if he had anything to say in mitigation, he said: “Nothing to say.”
The offence of intentionally feeding wildlife is punishable by a fine of up to S$5,000 (US$3,760) for first-time offenders. Repeat offenders face fines of up to S$10,000 (US$7,500).
Singapore’s Wildlife Act defines wildlife as “an animal that belongs to a wildlife species, and includes the young or egg of the animal”.
In a letter that was published in March this year in response to a letter in Chinese-language newspaper Lianhe Zaobao, the National Environment Agency and NParks said that rock pigeons are not native to Singapore but are an invasive species that compete with native birds.
“Their droppings dirty the environment and cause disamenities like the soiling of clothes,” said the agencies.
NParks said it takes a community- and science-based approach towards the management of invasive bird species.
This involves the removal of human food sources, habitat modification, population management and studies to understand the ecology of the pest birds such as their roosting and foraging patterns.
“The public can help to reduce the pigeon population growth by not feeding these birds and ensuring that food scraps are properly disposed [of],” the letter continued.
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The agencies stressed that feeding pigeons is illegal and that NParks undertakes active enforcement against such practices.
Since February 2021 to the time the letter was published in March, NParks said it had issued advisory letters, warning letters and fines to more than 270 offenders.
