Elderly woman fined for feeding grain to wild birds in Toa Payoh

SINGAPORE: A 70-year-old woman was fined S$1,200 (US$930) on Wednesday (May 28) for illegally feeding wild birds near her flat in Toa Payoh.

Sanmugamnathan Shamla pleaded guilty to two counts under the Wildlife Act.

Eleven similar charges, including for disrupting a National Parks Board (NParks) pigeon trapping exercise, were taken into consideration.

Shamla was caught when NParks enforcement officers conducted checks near her home at Lorong 4 Toa Payoh after receiving feedback.

At about 4pm on Apr 11, 2023, NParks officers saw her feeding grain to wild birds and asked her to stop as this was an offence.

Under the Wildlife Act, it is illegal to feed wildlife without written approval from NParks' director-general of wildlife management.

After being so warned, Shamla continued to feed wild birds on multiple occasions up until November 2024.

On Feb 19, Shamla also hindered NParks officers carrying out a pigeon trapping exercise near her home.

She repeatedly banged a metal pole on the ground to chase the pigeons away before they could be trapped.

She continued to disrupt the trapping and also raised her voice when officers asked her to stop.

When she did eventually put down the pole, she clapped loudly, which caused the pigeons to scatter.

This forced the officers to abandon the pigeon trapping exercise, NParks prosecutor Lim Chong Hui said.

Mr Lim told the court that in 2020, Shamla was charged with eight counts of feeding stray pigeons. She was let off with a stern warning after she agreed to stop.

Calling her a "recalcitrant offender", he also said that the prosecution had sought a lower fine than usual, taking into account her personal circumstances and age.

Shamla's case should not be taken as a precedent as her case was unique, with its own set of facts, he said.

When the judge told her she would have to serve two days in prison if she did not pay the fine, Shamla said: "I don't think my health can handle prison."

She paid the fine in full on Wednesday.

NParks said in a statement that Shamla was directly linked to more than half of the roughly 200 cases of feedback it received about illegal pigeon feeding and related soiling in the area between 2019 and 2025.

The agency said it has engaged Shamla on more than 35 occasions since it was first alerted to her conduct in May 2019.

"Ms Shamla remained uncooperative and repeatedly told officers that she would continue feeding the pigeons," said Ms Jessica Kwok, NParks group director for enforcement and investigation.

In 2019, she was referred to the Agency for Integrated Care for assistance. "Ms Shamla declined community support and stated that feeding pigeons was aligned with her personal beliefs," said Ms Kwok.

She added that Shamla's "persistent feeding" of pigeons led to "significant disamenities" for residents, and that the woman was prosecuted in court "only after all other attempts to dissuade her from feeding failed".

A first-time offender who feeds wildlife without approval can be fined up to S$5,000.

Bishan-Toa Payoh was one of three town council estates where a pilot to step up management of the pigeon population ran from July 2024 to March.

The other two estates with large clusters of pigeons were Ang Mo Kio and Tanjong Pagar.

The pigeon management efforts included trapping and culling, reducing human-generated food sources, surveillance of illegal bird feeding and public education.

The pilot will expand to Jalan Besar, Marsiling-Yew Tee and Nee Soon town council estates from June.