A man caught and allegedly killed a wild chicken at a park in Singapore.

Pictures of the sight were shared by user Joel Lee in a post on the Nature Society Singapore Facebook group on Feb. 17.

Alleged killing of wild chicken

Lee claimed in his post that he was taking a walk in a park on Feb. 17 when he witnessed a man killing a wild chicken.

Lee's post was accompanied by photos of a man in a blue T-shirt carrying what appeared to be a lifeless chicken while walking through the park.

The location of the park wasn't disclosed, and Lee did not elaborate on how the man caught the chicken.

The man then headed near a fenced up area of the park, where he sat down with the chicken.

In his caption, Lee implied that the man could have caught the chicken to eat it: "With so many chickens on our island now, it’s a wonder no one catches them for food."

Lee questioned in his post if the man would face any consequences for the alleged killing.

"So the question is, is it legal? Will the authorities do something?" he wrote.

Lee also wrote in response to a comment that National Parks Board (NParks) and Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres) had been notified about the incident.

Online users respond

Lee's post subsequently sparked some angry comments.

A few took the opportunity to criticise Lee for not intervening in the situation.

Some, however, asserted that chickens would be in for similar treatment when slaughtered for human consumption or culling.

"This is what is done to our chickens before we purchase [them] at the supermarket," one user wrote. "He's just brave enough to do the killing himself."

One user speculated that the man might be a migrant worker, and unaware of the laws and regulations in place to protect wildlife in Singapore.

Illegal to remove wild animals without approval: Acres

In response to Mothership's enquiries, Acres co-CEO Anbarasi Boopal (also known as Anbu) said that it is illegal to remove animals from the wild without the relevant approval from NParks.

She noted that if the killing of chickens for food should be done on licensed premises with regulations in place for slaughtering.

Anbu said that Acres has since filed a report with NParks for investigation.

"We observed some comments on this case, that suggested that the individual may not be aware of local legislation that protects wildlife and animals," she added.

To combat this, Acres said it has plans in place to engage and educate the workforce "who come close to wildlife frequently" and aid them in being more aware of local legislations and wildlife etiquette.

Part of these plans is the Our Wild Neighbours campaign, which is funded by Mandai Nature, the conservation arm of Mandai Wildlife Group.

1-2 cases a year about catching wild fowl: ACRES

Anbu pointed out that the organisation receives about one to two reports a year about the catching of wild fowl.

She hopes public awareness can be raised so people will not feed them or catch the wild chickens which frequently roam around Singapore's parks and green spaces.

Anbu also raised concerns about the growing trend of chickens such as silkies, Serama chickens and hybrids found free-roaming in the wild, after possibly being abandoned as pets.

"We hope that the rampant online trade in chickens and quails is put to an end in Singapore, to address such occurrences," she concluded.

Offenders can be fined, jailed

This case at the park draws similarities to a curious incident in June 2020, when a family of four was alleged to have abducted 20 wild chickens in Sembawang using fishing nets over a period of three days.

Under the Parks and Trees Regulations, it is an offence to capture or displace any animal within any public park without the approval of the Commissioner of Parks and Recreation.

It is also illegal to carry out any activity within a public park which one knows or ought reasonably to know may injure or kill any animal or any other organism there.

Offenders may be fined up to S$5,000.

Top image from Joel Lee / Facebook.