https://www.asiaone.com/singapore/i...erral&utm_campaign=A1+trending&utm_content=c4
singapore
Residents in Choa Chu Kang have expressed concerns and frustration over their neighbour's uncooperative behavior.
PHOTO: AsiaOne/Eriko Lim, Alan Khoo
PUBLISHED ON June 26, 2025 3:35 PM By Koh Xing Ying
Several residents at Choa Chu Kang are at their wits' end over a neighbour who repeatedly feeds birds on the HDB corridor railings.
This is despite multiple reminders by these residents not to do so.
According to the residents, the woman's act has resulted in a dirty and foul-smelling common corridor, with leftover food and bird droppings accumulating in the area.
"I have to pass by that corridor to get to my unit, and honestly it is so smelly and dirty. At times, it is unbearable," said the 58-year-old IT manager.
Despite efforts by the neighbours to get the lady to stop feeding the birds, she has remained uncooperative, continuing to feed them daily and even placing more plants along the main corridor.
"This neighbour usually wakes up very early to feed the birds, thinking she won't be caught, but we know it's her," said Khoo.
"We've tried numerous times to persuade her to stop, but she gets very angry and ends up adding more plants, further cluttering the common area."
Khoo also told AsiaOne that despite calls to the Marsiling-Yew Tee Town Council to address the issue and warning posters being put up, the female resident has continued to remain defiant.
His wife, who only wished to be known as Lee noted that at times, as many as 15 birds, including pigeons, could be seen perched on the railings, eating the rice left for them.
Read Also
singapore
'It's like a bird park': Choa Chu Kang residents upset with neighbour for feeding pigeons
Another resident living on the same level, who wished to be known as Shani, told AsiaOne that the bird feeding has affected her family, as the bird droppings on the railings were unsanitary.
"My neighbour doesn't clean up after feeding the birds, and whenever the wind blows, the leftover food on the railings flies down onto the floor or onto my plants, which I then have to clear," said the mother of four.
"It's the dirtiness I can't stand. It's just so messy and I have given up."
The woman, when contacted by AsiaOne, declined to comment about her neighbours' complaints.
Responding to queries from AsiaOne, a spokesperson for Marsiling-Yew Tee Town Council said that they are aware of feedback regarding bird feeding activites near the block and have referred the matter to the relevant authorities.
"As part of ongoing efforts to discourage wild bird feeding, advisory notices have been placed in the area to raise awareness of the associated public health and estate cleanliness concerns," said the spokesperson.
"The Town Council has also engaged the said resident on maintaining clear corridors for safety and accessibility, in accordance with standard guidelines."
The programme was first implemented in three town council estates with large clusters of pigeons — Ang Mo Kio, Bishan-Toa Payoh and Tanjong Pagar.
NParks said then that it will monitor feedback on illegal bird feeding and undertake active enforcement, including physical surveillance and the deployment of CCTV cameras at identified feeding hotspots.
The pilot, which ran from July 2024 to March 2025 across several town councils, saw the pigeon population in the three town councils decrease by about 50 per cent, reported CNA in May.
It was also reported that NParks worked with the town councils on pigeon removal such as physical trapping and humane euthanasia to bring down the pigeon population within these areas.
Due to its effectiveness, the plan will be extended to three more areas.
The next phase will begin in June and run for six to nine months in the Jalan Besar, Marsiling-Yew Tee and Nee Soon town councils.
On May 28, an elderly woman was fined $1,200 for illegally feeding birds near her flat in Toa Payoh.
Eleven similar charges, including disrupting a NParks pigeon trapping exercise, were taken into consideration, reported CNA.
Under the Wildlife Act, offenders can be fined up to $5,000 for their first offence of feeding any wild animal, including birds, and up to $10,000 for subsequent offences.
singapore
'It is unbearable': Choa Chu Kang residents frustrated over neighbour feeding birds despite repeated reminders
Residents in Choa Chu Kang have expressed concerns and frustration over their neighbour's uncooperative behavior.
PHOTO: AsiaOne/Eriko Lim, Alan Khoo
PUBLISHED ON June 26, 2025 3:35 PM By Koh Xing Ying
Several residents at Choa Chu Kang are at their wits' end over a neighbour who repeatedly feeds birds on the HDB corridor railings.
This is despite multiple reminders by these residents not to do so.
According to the residents, the woman's act has resulted in a dirty and foul-smelling common corridor, with leftover food and bird droppings accumulating in the area.
"I have to pass by that corridor to get to my unit, and honestly it is so smelly and dirty. At times, it is unbearable," said the 58-year-old IT manager.
Despite efforts by the neighbours to get the lady to stop feeding the birds, she has remained uncooperative, continuing to feed them daily and even placing more plants along the main corridor.
"This neighbour usually wakes up very early to feed the birds, thinking she won't be caught, but we know it's her," said Khoo.
"We've tried numerous times to persuade her to stop, but she gets very angry and ends up adding more plants, further cluttering the common area."
Khoo also told AsiaOne that despite calls to the Marsiling-Yew Tee Town Council to address the issue and warning posters being put up, the female resident has continued to remain defiant.
His wife, who only wished to be known as Lee noted that at times, as many as 15 birds, including pigeons, could be seen perched on the railings, eating the rice left for them.
Read Also
singapore
'It's like a bird park': Choa Chu Kang residents upset with neighbour for feeding pigeons
Another resident living on the same level, who wished to be known as Shani, told AsiaOne that the bird feeding has affected her family, as the bird droppings on the railings were unsanitary.
"My neighbour doesn't clean up after feeding the birds, and whenever the wind blows, the leftover food on the railings flies down onto the floor or onto my plants, which I then have to clear," said the mother of four.
"It's the dirtiness I can't stand. It's just so messy and I have given up."
The woman, when contacted by AsiaOne, declined to comment about her neighbours' complaints.
Responding to queries from AsiaOne, a spokesperson for Marsiling-Yew Tee Town Council said that they are aware of feedback regarding bird feeding activites near the block and have referred the matter to the relevant authorities.
"As part of ongoing efforts to discourage wild bird feeding, advisory notices have been placed in the area to raise awareness of the associated public health and estate cleanliness concerns," said the spokesperson.
"The Town Council has also engaged the said resident on maintaining clear corridors for safety and accessibility, in accordance with standard guidelines."
Authorities to step up efforts
Various government agencies, including National Parks Board (NParks), National Environment Agency and Singapore Food Agency, rolled out a six-month pilot action plan from June 2024 to bring down the pigeon numbers around housing estates.The programme was first implemented in three town council estates with large clusters of pigeons — Ang Mo Kio, Bishan-Toa Payoh and Tanjong Pagar.
NParks said then that it will monitor feedback on illegal bird feeding and undertake active enforcement, including physical surveillance and the deployment of CCTV cameras at identified feeding hotspots.
The pilot, which ran from July 2024 to March 2025 across several town councils, saw the pigeon population in the three town councils decrease by about 50 per cent, reported CNA in May.
It was also reported that NParks worked with the town councils on pigeon removal such as physical trapping and humane euthanasia to bring down the pigeon population within these areas.
Due to its effectiveness, the plan will be extended to three more areas.
The next phase will begin in June and run for six to nine months in the Jalan Besar, Marsiling-Yew Tee and Nee Soon town councils.
On May 28, an elderly woman was fined $1,200 for illegally feeding birds near her flat in Toa Payoh.
Eleven similar charges, including disrupting a NParks pigeon trapping exercise, were taken into consideration, reported CNA.
Under the Wildlife Act, offenders can be fined up to $5,000 for their first offence of feeding any wild animal, including birds, and up to $10,000 for subsequent offences.
