Tourists Beware: Feeding Birds Could Cost You $3000 in Singapore

Last March, Singapore’s National Environment Agency (NEA) and National Parks Board (NParks) declared the rock pigeons invasive species that are not native to Singapore, competing with local species.

“Their droppings dirty the environment and cause disamenities like the soiling of clothes,” the agencies said in their joint statement.

“The public can help reduce the pigeon population growth by not feeding these birds and ensuring that food scraps are properly disposed of,” the statement added.

Such public warnings however failed to deter local bird lovers from feeding the birds.

Today, a 67-year-old Singaporean national was slapped with the penalty after he was found to have violated four laws under the country’s Wildlife Act by repeatedly ignored warnings prohibiting the feeding of pigeons.

The man was fined a S$4,800 (US$3,600) by the court in Geylang, Singapore, with further 12 charges against him having also been taken into account. He paid the fine in full. Failure to do so could have resulted in a 16-day jail sentence.

According to the court filings, the culprit would spend around S$20 to S$30 (US$15 to US$20) on bread to feed the wild birds, as well as using leftover rice, and was first observed on August 26, 2022 offering slices of bread to local birds.

After being told that his actions had broken local laws, he was found to have breached the rule 15 more times – the final violation occurring last December.

The man had already been fined by authorities twice before, in 2018 and in 2020, also for feeding pigeons.

The prosecutor said during court proceedings that the defendant had also been issued with a separate fine of S$3,700 (US$2,780) earlier today for littering.

Asked if he had any comments for the court after having paid the fine, the defendant responded that he had “nothing to say.”

According to NParks, it takes a science-based approach to controlling the rock pigeon population, involving the removal of human-based food sources and the introduction of methods to predict their foraging and roosting patterns.

NParks once again reminded the residents and visitors that feeding pigeons is illegal in Singapore and offenders can be fined up to S$10,000 under the Wildlife Act.

The government agency also said that between February 2021 and March 2023, it had issued warnings or fines to more than 270 individuals for bird-feeding.