Singapore Boomers are responsible for half of all illegal bird-feeding cases – what can be done?

Seniors responsible for half of all illegal bird-feeding cases – what can be done?​

On average, there were nearly 320 cases of illegal bird-feeding a year between 2023 and 2025, and around half of them involved seniors.

File photo of pigeons at the void deck of a HDB flat. (Photo: iStock/WC Tan)

Davina Tham
17 Mar 2026 06:00AM (Updated: 17 Mar 2026 08:20AM)

SINGAPORE: After years as law-abiding citizens, some seniors become first-time criminals in old age when they start feeding pigeons.

On average, the National Parks Board (NParks) received reports of nearly 320 cases of illegal bird-feeding a year between 2023 and 2025.

Around half of those cases involved seniors aged 65 and above, NParks’ group director for wildlife management How Choon Peng told CNA.

Social service agency Lions Befrienders estimated that of the 13,000 seniors it engages, about 0.5 to 1 per cent of them are involved in problematic feeding of wild animals.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/games/buzzword
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/games/mini-crossword
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/games/word-search
This works out to about one senior in every six to seven public housing blocks the agency serves. It runs 10 active ageing centres around Singapore, and other well-being services for the elderly.

The scale of the problem is not big, but such behaviour tends to be persistent and causes annoyance, said Lions Befrienders’ executive director Karen Wee.

Knowledge of the underlying factors, which include a need for companionship and structure, can help to shape responses to recalcitrant bird-feeding.

“If you break it down, technically, it can be understood,” said Ms Wee.

UNDERSTANDING WHY​

Cases of elderly people repeatedly feeding birds and freeing birds in trapping operations meant to control their populations have made the news in recent months.

It is an offence to feed wildlife without written approval from the authorities in Singapore. Illegal feeders can be fined up to S$5,000 (US$3,900) for a first offence, and up to S$10,000 for subsequent offences.

In one case, a S$1,200 fine was not enough to stop a woman in her 70s, who was fined another S$3,200 when she fed pigeons again near her Toa Payoh flat.

Seniors have also broken the law by disrupting government bird-trapping operations, including making loud noises to chase pigeons away and cutting cable ties to free a crow trap.

NParks follows up on bird-feeding reports by investigating, engaging and intervening in the community, as well as taking enforcement action.

But some cases are intractable, involving vulnerable members of society and repeat offenders, said Mr How.

Lions Befrienders’ Ms Wee attributed it to several factors, including force of habit, social isolation, spiritual beliefs and possible mild cognitive impairment.

Some seniors form a habit of feeding birds to make up for the loss of routine and structure in their lives, which they might have got from going to work when they were younger.

Loneliness might motivate them to look for companionship among birds and other animals, said Ms Wee.

Spiritual beliefs around kindness and karma, which in Buddhist practice can take the form of “life release” or freeing captive animals into the wild, may be an influence, she added.

Mild cognitive impairment may also explain why some seniors cannot understand how feeding harms animals even after it has been repeatedly explained to them, she said.

Unable to rationalise these explanations, they may continue to base their actions on positive childhood experiences with feeding animals and childhood lessons around reducing food waste, said Ms Wee.

Ms So Man Shan, manager at AWWA Active Ageing Centre, agreed that seniors may gain a sense of routine and connection to their surroundings by feeding birds.

This is especially so for those who feel socially isolated or have limited opportunities for purposeful engagement.

They may also not be aware of the environmental and public health implications, she said, stressing the importance of outreach and education.

Feeding wild animals can lead to unsustainable growth of their populations and harm their health if they are fed foods that do not meet their nutritional requirements.

When it comes to wild birds, pigeons, crows and Javan mynas are considered invasive species that can out-compete native birds. Their droppings also dirty the environment.

NParks is set to resume crow shooting in March, as reports of crow attacks increased fourfold from 2020 to over 2,000 cases in 2025.

Reducing human sources of food was one of the crow population control measures taken, along with trapping and removing crows and their nests, before resorting to culling.

GOING COLD TURKEY​

NParks raises seniors’ awareness about the negative effects of bird-feeding through outreach talks under an initiative called “Our Avian Neighbours”, said Mr How.

It also works with town councils, the Municipal Services Office, the People’s Association and the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC) to better understand the motivations behind illegal bird-feeding and find solutions to discourage it.

AIC may link seniors to befriending services or active ageing centres to help keep them engaged in the community.

“Many seniors are looking for routine, connection, and a sense of purpose,” said AWWA’s Ms So.

She said it is important for community initiatives to go beyond one-off activities, and to create regular, accessible touchpoints where seniors feel valued and able to contribute.

For example, interest-based groups, intergenerational activities, animal-assisted sessions and volunteering roles at AWWA Active Ageing Centre help seniors to nurture interests while building friendships and social networks.

​

But in some cases, more personalised solutions may be necessary.

Lions Befrienders’ Ms Wee said one way is to introduce substitutes to “compensate” for stopping the bird-feeding activity, such as a plant or a pet that the senior can nurture instead.

ADVERTISEMENT

If seniors feed birds because they want to do something for the environment, it may also be possible to direct this energy into more desirable activities, such as community gardening, she said.

Finding customised solutions requires time-consuming assessment of each senior, noted Ms Wee. This stretches resources, since Lions Befrienders works with a ratio of about six staff members for every 3,000 seniors.

“What we need is also family members to be aware,” she said of the intractable cases, where intervention by the senior’s closest family members is likely to be the most effective.

She gave the example of enrolling grandchildren to talk to their grandparents about why they continue to feed birds and how it is harmful for the animals and the environment.

“The one that (the senior) loves most is the one that can carry the message through,” said Ms Wee.

Shoot the boomers along with the birds.