Crows Attack People Along Orchard Road, Most Likely Protecting Nest
You might want to be extra careful when passing by Orchard Central these few days.
A pair of crows has been spotted swooping down and attacking unsuspecting passers-by in front of the shopping mall.
When MS News headed down to investigate on Thursday evening (26 Oct), the real-life angry birds were still at it, charging at anyone who walked by a certain stretch.
It’s likely that the crows were protecting their nest in one of the trees in the area.
Crows attack Orchard Road pedestrians, seem to target mostly men
The attacks were first reported on STOMP when a woman sent them videos of the crows pecking pedestrians near the Orchard Central outdoor escalator on Tuesday (24 Oct).
So vicious were the avian assailants that one man was apparently left with a bleeding ear.
On Thursday (26 Oct), The Straits Times (ST) went down to check out the situation. Although it had been two days, the birds had far from calmed down.
ST counted about 10 attacks in the span of an hour. Most of the victims appeared to be men who had unknowingly gotten too close to one particular tree, presumably the crows’ home.
MS News also made our way to the ‘crime scene’ in the evening, where our own reporter became a target of the crows’ wrath.
We also witnessed numerous other strikes on innocent passers-by, whether they were on foot or on a bicycle.
Although a majority of the victims were indeed men, a few ladies suffered unpleasant pecks as well.
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There were even times when the birds flew across the road to target people on the other side.
For some reason, they stopped attacking after 6.50pm. Guess protecting a nest so aggressively is exhausting business.
NParks removes nests to prevent similar incidents
In response to MS News’ queries, Mr Ryan Lee, Group Director of Wildlife Management at the NParks, said that they are aware of the attacks.
“We have surveyed the area for crow nests and removed the nests found to prevent similar incidents,” he confirmed.
The birds are house crows, which are not native to Singapore. In fact, they are an invasive species and pose a threat to the country’s native biodiversity.
These crows are also extremely protective of their young and may attack when they sense that their chicks are being threatened.
The management of invasive bird species requires “a holistic and science-based approach”, Mr Lee added. In the case of crows, it includes nest removal and trapping.
“To ensure that population control is carried out in a humane and safe manner and does not result in animal cruelty, NParks benchmarks against internationally accepted and science-based standards when choosing suitable depopulation methods,” he added.
“Thus, we adopt the more humane method of trapping and subsequent euthanasia, as opposed to using toxins, to manage the crow population.”
The public has a part to play in all this too.
They may help to mitigate population growth by refraining from feeding birds and disposing of their food waste properly.
Also read: Crows Attack 10 People In Bishan Within 20 Minutes, Likely Protecting Territory
Crows Attack 10 People In Bishan Within 20 Minutes, Likely Protecting Territory
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Featured image by MS News.
