Monkeys, snakes and wild boars have been known to enter houses even in Singapore's urban landscape
Liew Wei Lin and Toh Wen Li Straits Times 8 Apr 12;
Wild boars crashing into your backyard, pesky monkeys snatching your food on your morning walk, snakes crawling into your home - it is tough being an urbanite in Singapore.
Singapore may be a skyscrapered, bustling city, but encounters with wildlife from its jungle pockets do rear their heads.
Take for instance residents in the modern terrace housing along Hindhede Place. They may be just a walk away from Bukit Timah Shopping Centre, but they are also at the foot of the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve - and have learnt the hard way not to walk down the street with a bag of groceries in their hands.
Monkeys in the area can recognise a food-filled bag when they see one, says 50-year-old Mrs Chan, an administrator who lives in a semi-detached house there with her family, and who wishes to be known only by her last name.
'When my children buy snacks and walk back in from the main road, the monkeys spot the grocery bags and chase them,' she says.
One of her neighbours, 48-year-old freelance energy consultant Henry Yee, adds that their rubbish bins are easily toppled by the monkeys, resulting in a trail of trash and fights for the food.
Residents have taken to strapping bungee cords over the lids or putting bricks on top so that monkeys cannot get in.
Over at Marigold Drive in Upper Thomson, monkeys are such a nuisance that some residents resorted to laying traps. But the monkeys were not fooled. 'They stopped coming,' says Ms Aty Witomihargo, a 37-year-old domestic helper.
Some residents along Old Upper Thomson Road have even placed spikes on their backyard walls to prevent monkeys climbing over.
Finding bats beneath lampshades in your home, monitor lizards in a water feature and a huge snake in the house were some of the stories shared by residents in the Upper Thomson area whom LifeStyle spoke to.
Says Mr Lim Soo Tiah, 62, a businessman, whose backyard overlooks MacRitchie Reservoir: 'We once had a 2m-long green snake curled up on the piano. I guess it's part and parcel of living so close to nature.'
And two weeks ago, late at night, a wild boar crashed into the home of Mr Chang Nam Yuen, 60, who lives in Lower Peirce. He contacted the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres) for help.
Says businessman Chong Yin Fong, 71, who lives in Old Upper Thomson Road: 'Wild boars start to appear between five and seven in the evening, with a group of six or seven coming together to look for food.'
So what should the Singaporean urbanite do in an animal encounter?
He can install grilles and shut his doors but if this does not work, he can contact pest control agencies such as Aardwolf Pestkare and Rentokil, along with Acres, which has a wildlife rescue programme.
The Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority received 570 calls last year on wild animal sightings or nuisance issues. It coordinates and liaises with relevant agencies on follow-up action.
The police should not be called and neither should the Singapore Civil Defence Force unless ambulance assistance is needed.
If you encounter a wild animal on a nature trail, wildlife experts advise that you walk away from it and do not display signs of aggression such as baring your teeth. Parkgoers are also advised to not eat in nature reserves and to store food in haversacks instead of plastic bags.
Nature Society (Singapore) president Shawn Lum says: 'We need to learn how to co-exist with wildlife while reducing the likelihood of unpleasant encounters. But these wild animals have been here for as long as the forest has been. Understanding them would reduce the chances of human-wildlife conflict.'
