Wildlife feeders, including those who feed birds, to face stiffer penalties under proposed amendments, Singapore News

@asiaone First-time offenders will now face fines of up to $10,000, while repeat offenders will face maximum fines of $20,000, a jail term of up to 12 months, or both. NParks found that the number of illegal wildlife feeding cases has more than doubled over the past 5 years, and the proposed changes aim to act as a stronger deterrence to protect public health and safety. #sgnews #Singapore #Parliament #WildlifeAct #Feeding ♬ original sound – AsiaOne

Up to a year in jail

Persistent wildlife feeding in Singapore particularly involves invasive pest bird species like rock pigeons and house crows, which results in public disamenities and risks to public hygiene.

As such, the maximum fines for both first-time and repeat wildlife feeding offences are set to double, said Dr Syed Harun.

First-time offenders will now face fines of up to $10,000, while repeat offenders will face maximum fines of $20,000, a jail term of up to 12 months, or both.

“We need appropriate penalties to deter errant behaviours, but our approach is not merely to penalise,” said Dr Syed Harun, adding that NParks offers feeders with mental health needs nature-based activities like community gardening and birdwatching as alternatives to feeding.

NParks also partners with the Agency for Integrated Care, town councils, and other agencies to engage elderly offenders and those with mental health or psychology needs to understand their underlying needs and motivations that drive such behaviour, address misconceptions, and raise awareness on the negative impacts of bird feeding.

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dana.leong@asiaone.com