Hornbills seem to be visiting our homes in Singapore more frequently of late.
On Monday (4 Jan), a video of a man allegedly feeding hornbills at a condominium balcony was shared on the Singapore Wildlife Sightings Facebook group.
In a subsequent update, National Parks Board (NParks) shared that they are investigating the incident.
In the video, a man in a pink polo shirt can be seen throwing what appears to be pieces of bread towards the hornbills.
The hornbills perched around the balcony could be seen skilfully catch the food with their beaks.
At one point, the man was emboldened enough to offer a piece of bread crumb directly to one of the hornbills with his hand.
A woman, who was likely filming the video, can be heard saying that there were “more than 10” hornbills near the condominium balcony.
As the man feeds the hornbills, more can be seen flying towards or near the balcony.
Some were even seen lepak-ing on the roof of the balcony.
Later on, the same lady concluded that there were around 14 hornbills after surveying the surroundings.
The woman can also be heard joking that “they” – presumably the family – no longer need to visit Jurong Bird Park.
NParks has since been alerted to the incident. They have also identified the man and are now investigating the case.
According to the Wildlife Act, individuals caught feeding wildlife can be fined $5,000. Repeat offenders could be fined up to $10,000.
Speaking to STOMP, Dr Loo, Group Director of Wildlife Management at NParks said that they take a serious stance towards the feeding of wild animals.
He continued that the main reason why wildlife approach humans is precisely due to feeding.
Dr Loo elaborated that feeding animals will alter their behaviour as they might become reliant on humans.
Eventually, this could lead to more wildlife venturing into urban areas searching for food, posing danger to both animals and humans as they can turn aggressive.
Furthermore, feeding animals with processed food might also cause them to suffer health problems.
However, this is not the first time such incidents have occurred. Last December, a man was also seen feeding hornbills at a hawker centre.
From hornbills to wild boars, we have already seen more animals intruding into urban spaces and even attacking humans in some cases.
Hopefully, this is a timely reminder for everyone not to feed wildlife that we come across and respectfully admire them from afar instead.
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Featured image adapted from Facebook.
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