Proactive Enforcement Against Recalcitrant Illegal Bird Feeders and Mandatory Counselling to Address Underlying Issues
Ministry of National DevelopmentSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns whether proactive enforcement and mandatory counselling can be implemented for recalcitrant illegal bird feeders to address potential underlying behavioral issues. Minister for National Development Mr Desmond Lee responded that the National Parks Board (NParks) adopts a multi-pronged approach involving surveillance, enforcement, and inter-agency collaboration. To manage repeat offenders, NParks partners with the Agency for Integrated Care and Town Councils to provide nature-based alternatives like community gardening and birdwatching. These initiatives aim to engage feeders socially and correct misconceptions about bird foraging. For individuals with mental health needs, the Agency for Integrated Care facilitates access to support services, including counselling.
Transcript
25 Mr Derrick Goh asked the Minister for National Development (a) whether more proactive enforcement measures can be taken against recalcitrant illegal bird-feeders to supplement existing surveillance and enforcement efforts; and (b) whether the recalcitrant feeders can be provided with or mandated to receive counselling, including psychological support, to address potential underlying behavioural issues.
Mr Desmond Lee: The National Parks Board (NParks) adopts a multi-pronged approach to manage bird-feeding in estates. NParks partners with agencies, such as the People's Association (PA) and Town Councils (TC), to conduct on-site surveillance and take enforcement actions.
To complement surveillance and enforcement efforts, NParks has been increasing its outreach and public education efforts to deter illegal bird-feeding. For instance, NParks conducts outreach programmes to educate the public on proper food disposal practices and discourage pigeon feeding.
For repeat offenders or those with mental health needs, NParks works with the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC), TCs, the Municipal Services Office and PA to understand their motivations, address misconceptions and discourage them from feeding birds.
NParks offers these feeders nature-based activities as alternatives to feeding. These include community gardening, which creates opportunities for them to be engaged socially with others; and birdwatching, where they can observe how wild birds forage naturally without human-generated food sources. For individuals with mental health needs, AIC will link them with appropriate services, such as counselling, for support.