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Crows were in the news recently when they attacked elderly men in Chinatown who were apparently balding or bald.<\/p>\n
AsiaOne was at the scene on Friday (April 24) and talked to some of them who were attacked.<\/p>\n
Chang Yeng Yew, 67, is one of them.<\/p>\n
He told AsiaOne that he was pecked at least thrice as he was walking in the area.<\/p>\n
“It flew over and I was shocked because I didn’t know what it was,” he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“It pecked my head two to three times, there was nothing I could do about it.”<\/p>\n
Chang, who runs a fried bee hoon stall at Block 335 in Chinatown, said that he wasn’t afraid of the birds \u2014 but rather angry.<\/p>\n
When asked if he might have prepared something to protect himself from future attacks, Chang said that he did not.<\/p>\n
“I’ll just let it happen,” he dismissed with a laugh.<\/p>\n
\n\n @asiaone<\/a> Since April 19, locals in Chinatown have witnessed or experienced crow attacks. They tell AsiaOne what they saw. Also, learn how you can avoid being a target. #sgnews<\/a> #Singapore<\/a> #Wildlife<\/a> #Animals<\/a> #Birds<\/a> #Safety<\/a> \u266c original sound – AsiaOne<\/a><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Thin-haired targets<\/h2>\n
Tang May Yuet, 62, witnessed how Chang was attacked and pointed out how he has got more wary of the birds since.<\/p>\n
She said she started noticing such attacks from April 19.<\/p>\n
“I’d see crows flying all over the area \u2014 those with especially thin hair seemed to be the target,” Tang said in Mandarin.<\/p>\n
Occasionally, they would claw at the victims instead of pecking them, she added.<\/p>\n
While there were more crows on previous days, there appeared to be less on Friday, <\/strong>the sales assistant told AsiaOne.<\/p>\n
They would begin their attacks as early as 7.30am, continuing until 10am. They would then fly away before coming back again around 5pm, she said.<\/p>\n
“One auntie was even besieged by attacks until she fell,” Tang recounted.<\/p>\n
Some people who frequent the area have also adapted, bringing umbrellas with them to shield themselves from the birds.<\/p>\n
In her 30 years of working there, Tang said she has never seen anything like this.<\/p>\n
She reported the incidents to the National Environment Agency (NEA) on April 19 and was contacted by the agency on Tuesday for more information.<\/p>\n
According to an advisory on crows available on OneService, the fledging season of May to June are when chicks learn to fly and their parents might be protective.<\/p>\n
Crows are also grudge-holding birds and can recognise faces, so accidentally offending one of them may result in an individual getting attacked.<\/p>\n
The public is advised to contact Animal and Veterinary Service at 1800-476-1600<\/a> for the removal of crow nests or crow-related issues in their neighbourhood.<\/p>\n
AsiaOne has reached out to NParks and NEA for more information.<\/p>\n
Additional reporting by Elzann Poh and Shafiq Apandi<\/em><\/p>\n
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khooyihang@asiaone.com<\/p>\n<\/div>\n