Nee Soon Town Council responds to Stomp about video of pigeons getting culled at Ang Mo Kio

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Nee Soon Town Council responded to Stomp's query about a video of pigeons getting culled at Ang Mo Kio and said that it was done as a "last resort" due to feedback from residents.

The incident, which happened in the area between Block 155 and 156 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 4 at 3.20pm on Tuesday (Sep 25), has sparked concern from netizens.

A Stomper had alerted Stomp to the video of the incident that was taken and uploaded by Facebook user Suraiyah K Abdulla, whom Stomp later got in touch with.

In the video, a flock of pigeons is seen struggling on the ground before they collapsed and became motionless.

A few people, some of them wearing masks and gloves, are also seen watching the pigeons from a distance.

In the video, Suraiya can also be heard saying: "Feeding the pigeons food, and killing them."

A man wearing a Nee Soon Town Council T-shirt is later seen picking up the dead pigeons from the ground and placing them in a black trash bag.

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https://www.facebook.com/SuSuLemakManis/videos/10158029987259657/

Suraiyah, who prefers to go by the name Sue, told Stomp that she first saw a group of people walking towards the pigeons from her kitchen window.

"I saw a man throwing something from his hand to the ground where the pigeons were and after about a minute, the birds were dead," she said.

"I shouted at them and asked what they were doing and they took cover under a tree."

In her post, Sue also questioned if culling was really necessary.

She said: "I asked a few neighbours, all agreed that the pigeons have never entered our homes or attacked us or loiter in our way.

"Are we really that selfish that we can't co-exist?"

The Nee Soon Town Council has clarified with Stomp that they are doing this as a "last resort" due to feedback from residents.

"The Town Council is aware of the pigeon culling incident mentioned," they said.

"The bird issue affects many areas in Singapore. Different solutions are being trialled across Singapore with the involvement of the Town Councils, such as 'Birth control' bird feed, bird deterrent gel, fogging, among others.

"The reality is that none of these has been completely effective. Residents' feedback on bird droppings and problems has been on the rise. We have to help residents and deal with their feedback on their living environment.

"Culling is a last resort and we do so with reluctance. It is not new and has its limitations including that it is a temporary relief.

"We, in conjunction with other authorities, will continue studying other solutions, including what is being done in other countries. We are in the path of the seasonal migratory pattern of birds, and that makes the situation more difficult for us to solve.

"There has been an on-going education for many years and we will continue it. However, we will need active citizen involvement to work as well. The problem won’t just go away by adopting a single approach, but requires a collective effort."