Bedok Reservoir Rd resident complains about neighbour's parrots: "I can't sleep at all"

A resident at an HDB (Housing and Development Board) block in Bedok Reservoir Road has complained about his neighbour’s parrots,  which according to him, would keep cawing during early mornings and late at night. 

The resident, Mr He Wei Xiang, 62, told Shin Min Daily News that he has stayed at Block 143 Bedok Reservoir Road for close to 30 years, but his ‘life of peace’ was disrupted around four months back. 

He said:

“The new neighbour has two parrots, and they’re placed in front of his unit. The birds will keep cawing every morning and night. 

“Sometimes, they’ll say ‘hello’, and other times, they’ll meow like cats. It’s terribly noisy.”

Mr He who works as a taxi driver said that he has to drive for 12 hours every day, and requires a good rest before beginning each shift.

However, the birds would start cawing around 5am in the morning, and after 10pm at night. 

Said Mr He:

“I can’t sleep at all. This has affected my work.”

Mr He also added that the parrots look cute and have attractive personalities.

As a result, kids in the neighbourhood would often come to play with them, causing a din outside the flat. 

Mr He said that he hopes that his neighbour can place both the birds in his flat to reduce the disruption,

He added that he has already voiced his concern to his neighbour.

However, others feel that the parrots have brought an element of liveliness into the neighbourhood, citing that children would come over just to play with them.

A student, Shi Fa, told reporters:

“Every time I see the cute birds, I’ll feel happier.”

The owner of the parrots said that his family loves rearing birds. 

About six years ago, they started rearing an African Grey parrot.

After that, they got another cockatiel. 

The owner said:

“Both the birds are quite obedient.

“However sometimes when they’re hungry in the morning, they’ll be slightly louder. “

With regard to his neighbour’s complaint, the owner said that he was considering moving the cockatiel inside the flat.

However, he added:

“The African Grey’s cage is too large for us to squeeze into the flat, so I hope that he’ll (Mr He) will understand and forgive us for it. We simply love our pets.”