On Jan. 6, Nee Soon GRC Member of Parliament (MP) Lee Bee Wah asked the Minister for National Development, Lawrence Wong, in Parliament about the mynah population in Yishun and what has been done to deter the population growth.

The questions raised by Lee came after a woman in Yishun tried to hang a mynah on her laundry pole to teach it a lesson last month.

Lee also questioned the effectiveness of tree fogging as well as law enforcement against bird-feeding in the area so far.

800 to 900 mynahs along Yishun Ave 3

In response, Wong said that surveys done by NParks at the mynah hotspots only begun in 2019.

There is no historical data to determine population growth, and from last year's survey, the estimated number of mynahs is between 800 and 900 individuals near Yishun Avenue 3.

Fogging is only a temporary solution

In a pilot done in Yishun in 2016, fogging was found to have "limited long term effects" on deterring the mynah population from roosting in Yishun.

Fogging only displaced the mynah population temporarily and they returned to roost in Yishun once fogging stopped.

Working with multiple stakeholders for a sustainable solution

Wong mentioned that NParks is currently working with the Nee Soon Town Council on a holistic strategy towards the management of the mynah population in Yishun.

The two focus areas are: reducing the availability of suitable habitats and reducing the availability of food left behind by humans.

To make trees less appealing habitats for the mynah population, trees are being pruned to direct the population away from residential areas.

As mynahs prefer trees with dense foliage, these types of trees are being replaced with trees that are less dense.

This has proven to be effective in reducing the number of mynahs roosting in residential areas in Ang Mo Kio and Potong Pasir.

145 enforcement notices issued to bird feeders in 2019

Another question that Lee asked was:

"[...] how does the Ministry enforce the laws against bird-feeding and, to date, how many perpetrators have been penalised"

Wong said that 145 enforcement notices were issued to bird feeders by NParks in 2019 and video surveillance is being used to catch offenders in the act.

In addition to cracking down on irresponsible bird feeders, the National Environment Agency (NEA) works with food establishments, such as coffee shops and food centres in HDB estates to reduce the availability of improperly disposed food waste to mynahs.

Wong ended his reply to Lee by highlighting that "the public must also play its part by maintaining the overall cleanliness of the environment and not feeding wild birds."

Top screenshot via Gov.sg/YouTube and photo by Pixabay