Crow shooting to resume as an additional measure to reduce S’pore’s crow population
The shooting of crows in public will resume in the second half of March, as reports of crow-related attacks have increased.
Announcing the move in a Facebook post on Monday (23 Feb), National Development Minister Chee Hong Tat said the move will be an “additional measure” to reduce Singapore’s crow population.
More complaints, reports on crow attacks in 2025
Mr Chee said that the Municipal Services Office received about 15,000 complaints on crow-related issues in 2025, three times more than in 2020.
There were also more than 2,000 reports on crow-related attacks in 2025 — a fourfold increase from 2020.
Current measures ‘not adequate’ to control crow population
Over the past six years, the National Parks Board (NParks) has been working with other agencies to manage the crow population through various measures, including trapping, nest removal, and reducing their food sources.
Source: Dr Syed Harun Alhabsyi on Facebook
However, these measures on their own “have not been adequate” to keep the crow population under control, Mr Chee said, adding:
If the crow population continues to grow, it will affect the safety of our residents as there will be more and more crow-related attacks. We should not wait for this to happen before we take action.
Following discussions with the Ministry of Home Affairs and Singapore Police Force, the minister thus asked NParks to bring back crow shooting as “one of the measures to reduce the crow population in Singapore”.
Source: Chee Hong Tat on Facebook
Crow shooting was discontinued in 2020
The practice of crow shooting was discontinued in 2020 after a few incidents where pellets struck nearby buildings, Mr Chee said.
This was due to human error, including non-compliance with safety protocols by auxiliary officers.
Enforcement actions were taken against the errant officers, he added.
Crow shooters must adopt safety controls
This time round, shooters will be trained and required to adopt “strict safety controls”, Mr Chee said.
For example, they must ensure that they shoot upwards at all times, so the trajectory of their shotgun pellets is directed upwards.
Source: George Lim via NSS Public Forum on Facebook.
Shooting zones must also be cordoned off with clear signage and sufficient safety personnel to stop members of the public from entering while shooting is going on.
However, as shotguns will be used, the operations “do carry some risk”, Mr Chee admitted, adding:
We will carefully manage the risks with enhanced safety measures.
Minister hopes to bring down S’pore’s crow population
Mr Chee hopes the resumption of shooting, together with other measures such as trapping and nest removal, can help bring down the crow population in Singapore.
This will provide residents with a safer environment, he said.
Also read: Crows Attack Passers-By At Orchard Road, NParks Removes Nests To Prevent More Incidents
Crows Attack Passers-By At Orchard Road, NParks Removes Nests To Prevent More Incidents
Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.
Featured image by MS News and adapted from George Lim via NSS Public Forum on Facebook.
