NParks investigating man who fed hornbills at condo balcony

Not Jurong Bird Park.

Sumita Thiagarajan | January 07, 2021, 02:47 PM

A viral video has surfaced on WhatsApp depicting a man feeding hornbills on a condo balcony.

Here's the video which was circulating on WhatsApp:

The date and location of the video is unclear.

Over 10 hornbills were observed in the video

A man was seen in the video throwing pieces of food to the hornbills, and even letting them eat directly out of his hand.

gif of man feeding hornbill Footage via WhatsApp video

He is heard saying, "There you go" as he threw food to them. When asked how many hornbills there were, he said, "12 or 14".

A lady could be heard throughout the video sounding amused at the hornbills gathering and being fed by the man. At one point, she said, "Wow, very good.".

As the camera panned across the scene, hornbills were seen along the railing and even on the rooftop.

Towards the end of the video, the lady could be heard saying:

"You don't have to go to Jurong Bird Park."

Man has been identified, investigations underway: NParks

In response to a media query, NParks' Group Director of Wildlife Management Adrian Loo said that the agency is aware of the incident where a man was filmed feeding a group of hornbills at his balcony ledge.

The man has been identified by NParks and the matter is currently being investigated, said Loo.

He reiterated that first-time offenders caught feeding wildlife could be fined up to S$5,000, and repeat offenders could be fined up to S$10,000, under the Wildlife Act.

Feeding wildlife can contribute to increased human-wildlife conflict

Loo said that the agency views the feeding of wild animals by humans as a serious issue. This is because it alters the natural behaviour of wildlife.

He highlighted that one of the main reasons why wild animals approach humans is due to feeding.

Feeding, intentional or otherwise, makes wild animals accustomed to human presence and they could start relying on humans for an easy source of food.

Start venturing into urban areas for human food

After wild animals get used to the presence of humans, they can start associating humans with food providers.

This could lead to wild animals venturing into urban areas in search of food from humans.

This could also cause wildlife to wander onto roads and pose a potential danger to motorists and to themselves, explained Loo.

If they come across people while searching for food, they could display aggressive behaviour.

Feeding may result in unnatural increase in populations

In the natural environment, the population and distribution of wildlife is regulated through the resources that are available in the wild.

However, feeding causes an artificial increase in food which may lead to an unnatural and unsustainable increase in animal population.

This action contributes to increased human-wildlife conflict and also upsets the ecological balance, said Loo.

Human food, which is often processed, can also cause health issues in wild animals.

Disrupts natural processes, such as pollination & seed dispersal

Loo added that many animals fulfil ecological roles such as pollinators and seed dispersers, and these processes are disrupted when they rely on humans for food instead.

Wildlife may also lose their natural foraging skills and struggle to survive in their natural environment when there is no readily available food source from humans.

According to a study in ScienceDirect, hornbills in tropical forests are able to efficiently disperse the seeds of over 700 species of plants.

1 fine issued for feeding of wildlife since June 2020

Earlier this week, two Members of Parliament (MPs), Christopher de Souza and Louis Ng Kok Kwang, raised questions about reducing the number of wildlife sightings in residential areas and the number of fines issued to those who feed wildlife.

Minister for National Development Desmond Lee responded that 38 warning letters and one fine were issued for the feeding of wildlife.

Lee also replied to another question from de Souza, saying that NParks is working closely with other public agencies, as well as non-governmental organisations and academic institutions on public education.

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Top screenshots via WhatsApp video