Round 2 of chicken culling by AVA sparks another public outcry

So much for the Year of the Rooster. Residents of Pasir Ris were as mad as a wet hen when they discovered that the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) made another round of chicken culling around the Sungei Api Api area in Pasir Ris.  

Over a month ago, AVA culled 24 free-roaming chickens around the Sin Ming area in Thomson Road because folks had raised concerns about avian flu and the noise they were making. That resulted in a public outcry, which forced AVA to defend its actions by citing “bird-flu risks”.

Apparently, it was a common sight to see flocks of 10 chickens at a time in Pasir Ris before the culling began, but now only scattered groups of two to three fowls are left. It seems residents in the area were upset that AVA took action without letting them know — they asserted that the birds were the native red junglefowl, an endangered species in Singapore, but the AVA disputed their claim.

An AVA spokesman addressed the Pasir Ris issue by stating that the public had been giving feedback about the growing free-roaming chicken population since last January, and if the birds were left untouched, they could play a part in spreading bird flu brought here by migratory birds.

The MP for Nee Soon GRC and animal welfare advocate, Louis Ng, also expressed his hope for AVA to share details on its plans to deal with the population of these free-roaming chickens.