Culling of 24 free-ranging chickens in Singapore ruffles feathers
Mixed response to cull following noise complaints from nearby residents
By Toh Ee Ming
As a debate flared up over free-ranging chickens that were put down by the authorities in Singapore’s Sin Ming area, the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) revealed that it received 250 complaints islandwide on free-ranging chickens last year, and they were mostly about noise-related nuisances caused by the birds.
The authority also disclosed that it put down 24 chickens that were wandering around the Thomson View block of flats in Sin Ming Avenue, after getting 20 complaints last year from residents there, also mainly about noise.
Responding to queries from TODAY, the AVA added that the free-ranging chickens that are sometimes seen on mainland Singapore are not red junglefowl — an endangered species — though some may resemble them.
“Free-ranging chickens can pose a potential threat to public health, especially if their population is left unchecked. There is a likelihood of an incursion of bird flu into Singapore, as bird flu is endemic in the region,” the AVA said.
The news of the culling in Sin Ming sparked an outcry yesterday, with some residents chiming in online to say that the chickens there had not caused any major disturbances.
Facebook user Pang Jun Heng said that he has been living in the area for 16 years, and “the chickens there just mind their own business and roam around”. “I walk past them almost on a daily basis, they don’t attack anyone or make lots of noise.”