Decision on Appropriate Strategy for Urban Wildlife Management

4 Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin asked the Minister for National Development in light of the decision by NParks to put down the saltwater crocodile found near Marina East Drive (a) what is the framework in place to decide on the appropriate strategy for urban wildlife management; and (b) what factors determine the relevant approach for different species of wildlife.

The Senior Minister of State for National Development (Mr Tan Kiat How) (for the Minister for National Development): Sir, as we transform Singapore into a City in Nature and bring people closer to nature, we will need to manage human-wildlife encounters carefully. This includes cultivating public awareness and appreciation, and weaving thoughtful biophilic designs into our urban spaces. At the same time, because we are a densely populated city-state, we will also need to ensure public health and safety.

To do so, the National Parks Board (NParks) takes a science- and community-based approach to wildlife management. NParks studies the population trends and distribution of various wildlife species across Singapore. The findings of these studies guide the development of NParks’ wildlife management strategies. NParks also consults local as well as wildlife experts to ensure that its strategies are in line with international practices and standards.

In managing different wildlife species, such as pest birds, long-tailed macaques, wild boars and crocodiles, NParks considers factors such as the species’ ecology and behaviour, threats to public health and safety, animal welfare, as well as impact on native biodiversity, habitats and the community.

Based on an assessment of these factors, a range of measures may be adopted. These include public education, enforcement against illegal wildlife feeding, habitat modification to reduce food sources and translocation of the animals away from urban areas. NParks may also need to take steps to safeguard public safety. For instance, it may put up signage to advise the public on how to respond to wildlife sightings. NParks may also install exclusion measures such as fencing, or carry out direct population control where necessary, such as in the case of wild boars.

In the case of estuarine crocodiles, like the one found near Marina East Drive, public safety is a major consideration as they are apex predators and stealthy, opportunistic feeders. They have attacked and killed children and adults in other countries. For example, on 23 October 2023, The Straits Times reported three suspected crocodile attacks in Sabah in the preceding month. To protect the public, the Sabah authorities had to cull five large crocodiles.

When there are sightings of crocodiles in Singapore, NParks will first assess if there is an immediate threat to public safety. For example, if the sighting is at a recreational destination, NParks will trap the crocodile and try to relocate or rehome it. In doing so, NParks takes into account the strong homing instinct of estuarine crocodiles to return to the location of capture. If there are no suitable options for relocation and rehoming, the crocodile will be humanely put down.

This approach is aligned with that taken in many other jurisdictions that have crocodiles or alligators, such as the city of Darwin in Australia's Northern Territory, where crocodiles are actively removed from areas of high human activity to reduce the likelihood of crocodile attacks. These crocodiles are either rehomed or put down.

The crocodile that the Member has mentioned was a large adult, measuring around three metres long. That is almost one and a half storeys high. It was sighted around two kilometres away from East Coast Park, which is about a 10-minute swim for a crocodile moving at stealth in the waters. As East Coast Park is a popular destination that receives 7.5 million visits a year, the assessment was that the crocodile posed a significant risk to public safety.

NParks first explored the option of relocating the crocodile to the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, but given the reserve’s large existing crocodile population of around 20 individuals, it no longer has the capacity for more crocodiles. In any case, moving the crocodile away from the Marina East beach would have risked it returning to the site, venturing to East Coast Park, or even straying into another area with high human activity along our coastline. If so, it would pose a substantial threat to public safety, given its large size and predatory nature.

NParks also reached out to the Mandai Wildlife Group (MWG). However, as MWG shared with The Straits Times, multiple factors are considered in zoo population management and planning. These include whether the outcome of a move would favour the animal in terms of quality of life and welfare, and possible negative effects on the zoo’s institutional population planning and conservation commitments. In this case, MWG determined that it would not be able to rehome the crocodile in a way that met these criteria.

As there was no feasible option for relocation or rehoming, NParks had to euthanise the crocodile in the interest of public safety. The decision was not taken lightly. The euthanasia was done by a veterinarian, in accordance with international standards.

NParks has also put in place other measures to mitigate the risks to public safety from Singapore’s wild crocodile population. For example, at the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, NParks has installed fences to prevent crocodiles from getting onto footpaths. NParks has also installed signs to alert visitors to the presence of crocodiles and to advise them to remain calm and back away if they encounter a crocodile. In addition, NParks conducts regular population surveys of the reserve’s crocodiles and is exploring the use of technology to track their movements.

NParks agrees with Dr Shawn Lum, Senior Lecturer from the Nanyang Technological University and former President of the Nature Society (Singapore), who wrote an opinion piece in The Straits Times on 27 October 2023, and I quote him: "We need both a system and a culture for dealing with the joys and risks that come with having beautiful and majestic wild neighbours."

To this end, NParks will continue to monitor and carefully manage the populations of local wildlife species to safeguard public health and safety. NParks will also deepen its collaborations with partners such as the nature community and youth leaders from the Youth Stewards for Nature programme, to promote safe and responsible human-wildlife encounters in our City in Nature.

Mr Speaker: Ms Nadia Samdin.

Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin (Ang Mo Kio): Thank you, Speaker, and I thank the Senior Minister of State. I have three follow-up supplementary questions, bearing in mind the more long-term protection and solution to this. Really, the intention is to understand the structured approach.

First, experts mentioned that there are very few studies to understand the behaviour of crocodiles, especially locally. Is that something that we are looking more into doing?

Second, thank you for sharing the steps which NParks took. Were other stakeholders consulted during this process? For example, animal welfare groups (AWGs) and things like that.

The third question is, are groups such as Our Wild Neighbours looking to do more to bring more awareness about such animals so beyond, for example, otters and macaques? Are we also looking into doing more for crocodiles as well as tapirs which we had recently seen in September as well?

Mr Tan Kiat How: Sir, to the Member's first question, NParks conducts regular ecological studies on the behaviour, habitats and trends of the local flora and fauna population. So, it is not just specific to crocodiles or specific animals – we do it on a large scale.

Importantly, we also regularly consult experts from overseas. I mentioned the Northern Territory of Australia. We consult them regularly as part of our effort in Singapore, because they have much more experience dealing with crocodiles in their part of the world. We adopt best practices from jurisdictions like the Northern Territory as well as other parts of the world. And we do consult AWGs regularly.

In the case of this crocodile, we had to move rather quickly. Once it was sighted, we had to quickly trap it to make sure that the area was safe for the public. But we actively reached out and explored various options to rehome or relocate the crocodile. So, we will continue to engage our stakeholder groups in Singapore.

And to the Member’s last question, on public education. Yes, we will continue to do more.

Mr Speaker: Mr Louis Ng.

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang (Nee Soon): Thank you, Sir. I thank Senior Minister of State for the reply. I understand that we had to move quickly in terms of public safety, but could I ask whether the framework that the Senior Minister of State has just shared in this House can be put through a consultation with all the animal welfare groups and nature groups, the youth leaders that he talked about, so that there can be consensus in how we move forward in future cases where there are human-wildlife conflict again?

Mr Tan Kiat How: Sir, we regularly engage stakeholder groups, animal welfare groups and experts, and share our considerations. So, the framework is not something that is new or unfamiliar to many of our stakeholder groups. It is based on community inputs and, importantly, based on science. We assess what needs to be done based on internationally informed scientific evidence and how to customise it to our context.

So, we will continue to engage. And we welcome inputs from stakeholders on how we should deal with wildlife encounters along the way.