Residents In Bukit Merah Complain About Roosters Crowing Before Dawn
Roosters and chickens are not uncommon sights in Singapore. However, at an estate in Bukit Merah, roosters have very much made their presence known.
In recent months, these fowls have been crowing before dawn and waking residents up before they are supposed to.
Unable to put up with the disturbance from these “free alarm clocks”, the affected residents have lodged a complaint to the town council.
Roosters and chickens increased in numbers, disturbs Bukit Merah residents
Per Shin Min Daily News, the crowing has been happening in the vicinity of Block 139 Jalan Bukit Merah.
Every morning, the roosters would crow and wake residents up before they intend to.
Residents noted that there were only a few wild chickens in the area at first. But recently, their population seems to have increased to over 10.
A resident, Mr Zhao (all names transliterated from Chinese), 48, told Shin Min Daily News that one particular rooster would crow from 3am to 6am. As he recently went for surgery, he is unable to have the rest he needs thanks to this rooster.
“In the last two or three months, there have been many chickens here. I don’t know where they came from,” he said.
“There is one rooster that flies on top of a tree and crows in the evenings and early mornings, I’m about to have a breakdown. I’ve told the town council, but nothing has been done yet.”
Source: Shin Min Daily News
Mr Zhao also noted that his children have to wake up at 6am for school. The constant crowing in the early hours also affected their energy levels in the day.
In the video that Mr Zhao provided to Shin Min, the roosters could be heard crowing at around 4am and 7pm.
When Shin Min visited the residential block, they also observed roosters, hens, and chicks in the area.
Roosters crow almost everyday, reportedly being fed by people
Another resident, Madam Su, 83, explained that the chickens will crow every day, except for when it rains.
“I’ve been living here for 20 years, but only recently have there been so many chickens. They keep crowing everyday,” said the retiree.
A resident living on the fourth storey of the block, Kedi revealed that there are people feeding the chickens.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
“I’ve seen some women feeding grains to the chickens downstairs. Perhaps that is why there are so many of them.”
However, another resident, Mr Lin, feels unbothered by the chickens.
“I hear them in the day and at night, but I don’t think it’s an issue. I can tolerate it.”
Town council & NParks taking action
Responding to Shin Min Daily News’s queries, the Tanjong Pagar Town Council confirmed that they have received complaints about the chickens.
A spokesperson for the town council said that they are working closely with NParks to manage the chicken population.
They also said that they began taking action on 9 May.
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Featured image adapted from Shin Min Daily News and Shin Min Daily News on Facebook.
