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A Javan myna was found struggling with cable ties around its head and legs on a grass patch near Pasir Ris Street 71 on Jan. 15.

Struggled to fly away

Haziq Ismail told Mothership that he came across the bird at around 8pm on his way home.

He could only make out something moving in a "weird way" on the grass patch from a distance. He saw the animal hop and stop several times.

As he squinted at what he thought was a kitten, he was shocked when he realised it was a Javan myna.

The bird had cable ties around its legs and one on its mouth that wrapped around the back of its head.

"Due to discomfort or pain, the poor creature couldn't fly, hop properly, or close its jaw," said Ismail.

The bird was frightened when he approached it and tried to fly away.

But it only managed to gain about two feet of air before it landed and frantically hopped into the nearby bushes.

Carefully removed cable ties

Ismail then asked his sister to bring him a pair of pliers to remove the cable ties.

By then, the bird was already well hidden in the bushes, so he also brought down a blue fishing net.

As it was cornered and did not have much space to move about, he managed to coax the bird into the net.

With the bird in his hands, he brought it to the nearby HDB corridor to remove the cable ties.

"It was kind of a struggle to remove the cable ties, especially the ones around its mouth because it didn't want to open its jaw," he said.

He spent five minutes carefully removing the cable ties and releasing the bird. It quickly hopped away and took flight.

Ismail said that he and his sister "felt angry towards the perpetrator, and sad for the bird."

"However, I do think that the perpetrator might need some help as well because a normal person wouldn't do such a thing," he added.

Ismail said that he will consider lodging a report on the incident.

Series of cases in Pasir Ris

Non-profit wildlife rescue group Acres told Mothership that reports about similar myna-related incidents are not uncommon.

Acres also received a report of a different Java myna with cable ties on its feet and around its neck in a Pasir Ris carpark on Jan. 24.

The bird was seen just one block away from where Ismail encountered the bird he freed, more than a week later.

Acres went down but was unable to find the bird.

A myna with cable ties around its legs was also seen in Pasir Ris in 2020.

Acres told Mothership that they recently managed to help another myna in Clementi, which had its legs tied to wooden chopsticks with rubber bands.

Although mynas are not protected under the Wildlife Act, such cases are considered acts of cruelty under the Animals and Birds Act.

Under the Animals and Birds Act, first-time offenders caught causing cruelty to an animal can be fined up to S$15,000, jailed up to 18 months, or both.

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Top images by Haziq Ismail.