Trial underway to control pigeon population

The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) is piloting a new trial to control the pigeon population at Palmer Road.
Nadia Jansen Hassan Channel NewsAsia 5 Nov 15;

SINGAPORE: The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) is piloting a new trial to control the pigeon population at Palmer Road.

The trial, which started in October and which will take a year to complete, involves feeding the pigeons a corn-based feed containing nicarbazin, a drug which functions as an oral contraceptive for birds. It can stop female birds from producing eggs, but even if they are laid, they may not hatch.

The feed will be just another form of consumption for male birds, as they do not produce eggs. According to the AVA, it will not harm other animals or humans if accidentally consumed in small doses. It would take 40kg of the feed to see toxic effects in dogs and cats, and 60kg for a child.

The pigeon population at Palmer Road has grown in recent years. Today it stands at around 400, compared to 200 in 2013. This has caused hygiene and environmental issues in the area.

"It's very challenging for us to deal it with very quickly," said Mr Mohamed Idris, secretary of the management board of Masjid Haji Muhammad Salleh mosque, which is located in the area. "We have to mobilise our volunteers to deal with it immediately, and this is especially a problem on Fridays when we have prayers at about one o'clock."

Volunteers from the mosque will assist the AVA during the trial, and they will give the pigeons the feed once a day.

The main reason for this population increase is members of the public feeding the pigeons. The AVA has been taking enforcement action against feeders, and 13 feeders were caught at Palmer Road between January to October this year.

If the results are successful, the AVA said it may use the feed to control the pigeon population in other parts of Singapore.

This method has been trialled overseas, in countries including Italy.

"They have seen 30-40 per cent reduction in the pigeon population size over four years,” said Ms Janet Chia, executive manager of operations, wild animals section, at AVA. “Even if other birds accidentally eat them, the effects will be rid off in one week, because the product will be eliminated from their system. Most importantly, it doesn't cause any ill effects to the birds in the long-term."

The number of bird-related complaints across Singapore has gone up in the last three years. There were 4,400 in 2013, as compared to around 6,100 so far this year. As for pigeons, there were 2,100 cases in 2013, 2,500 in 2014 and 3,400 from January to October this year.

The AVA has also been piloting a bird deterrent gel in Choa Chu Kang. It also said it may use either of these methods in other parts of Singapore if results are successful.

- CNA/dl


Pigeons fed 'birth control' drug in trial
Samantha Boh, My Paper AsiaOne 6 Nov 15;

PIGEONS that congregate outside Masjid Haji Muhammad Salleh mosque have been getting an extra ingredient in their breakfast.

Every day, pigeons that flock to the area are served a corn-based feed containing a drug called nicarbazin, which stops the female birds from developing eggs or causes them to lay eggs that do not hatch.

This is a new "birth control" method to limit pigeon numbers tested by the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA), at a field outside the mosque at Palmer Road near Shenton Way.

The trial, which started on Oct 13 and will last a year, comes on the back of soaring complaints about the nuisance caused by pigeons.

AVA has already received about 3,400 pieces of pigeon-related feedback from Jan to Oct this year, more than the 2,500 they received in the whole of last year and the 2,100 in 2013.

It has also seen a growth in feedback about all kinds of birds, including pigeons, from some 4,400 messages in 2013 to 6,100 in the first 10 months of this year alone.

Mohamed Idris, secretary of the management board of the mosque at Palmer Road, said pigeons have always been around, but the problem worsened over the last 10 years.

The field outside the mosque has an estimated 400 pigeons, twice as many as two years ago. The birds would fly into the mosque compounds, making them a nuisance to staff and people who go to the mosque to pray.

"They leave their droppings on the floor and you walk on it... They congregate at the food areas as well," he said.

This has led AVA to choose the mosque as the first area to try out the new method.

During a demonstration yesterday, Janet Chia, executive manager of the Operations (Wild Animals) section at AVA, said it will take about a year to see a drop in the pigeon population there.

Around five mosque volunteers will be in charge of feeding the laced feed to the pigeons. The method could be rolled out to other areas in Singapore if the trial succeeds.

When tested in Italy, the method was found to reduce the pigeon population there by 30 to 40 per cent over four years.

The drug does not harm the birds and is not toxic to animals or humans if taken in small amounts. It would take 40kg of the feed to see toxic effects in dogs and cats, and 60kg for a child, said Ms Chia.

She also urged the public not to feed birds, as this "would encourage their population size to grow and encourage them to congregate and cause nuisance".

Feeding pigeons is illegal and those found to flout the rules face a fine of up to $500. AVA has caught 113 bird feeders so far this year, including 13 who did so outside the mosque.