A morning coffee at Changi Village Hawker Centre turned into a memorable wildlife encounter on Wednesday (13 Aug) for 56-year-old retiree Nicholas Tan.
While sipping on his beverage, Mr Tan spotted a hornbill perched on the nearby tray return rack.
Image courtesy of Nicholas Tan
At about 8.40am, the striking bird — which he estimated to be about 30cm tall, not counting its tail — hopped over and landed on the table right next to his.
“It woke me up real good,” Mr Tan wrote in his post on the Nature Society Singapore Facebook group. “Better than the kopi.”
The hornbill soon turned its attention to a plastic bag containing hum jin pang (fried dough fritters) that someone had left behind.
Not wanting to disturb the bird, Mr Tan stepped away to give it some space.
Within moments, another diner removed the food source, and the encounter lasted less than five minutes.
Source: Nicholas Tan Eng Sin on Facebook
Despite the brief sighting, netizens in the Facebook group were left in awe, praising Mr Tan’s “wonderful” close-up shot of the hornbill and noting that he had a “rare opportunity to dine with these birds”.
Mr Tan told MS News that he is used to seeing hornbills in the Changi Beach area, where they are often drawn to easy food sources.
He mentioned a recent TikTok video showing a man feeding a flock of hornbills at Changi Village Park, noting that such acts are harmful to wildlife.
Source: @goblinsbride1207 on TikTok
Mr Tan said people need to understand that feeding wildlife is “detrimental”, adding that the same is happening to pigeons, crows, long-tailed macaques, and even stray cats that no longer hunt rats because they are being fed.
“Some may think it’s love, but it blurs the line between causing more harm and loving them,” he said.
He pointed out that animals will naturally go for the easiest food source to save strength, and humans have essentially become their “AI” for an easy meal.
One netizen under his post agreed, expressing concern that hornbills could become a nuisance in future.
Source: Facebook
NParks prohibits the feeding of wild animals under the Wildlife Act, with repeat offenders facing a maximum fine of S$10,000.
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Featured image adapted from Nicholas Tan on Facebook and courtesy of Nicholas Tan.