Heron's feet found cloaked in red substance in Hougang, similar pollutant found in nearby canal

A man in Singapore was heading towards Punggol Park on Nov. 18 morning when he noticed a heron that appeared to have a pair of red legs.

Thinking he had caught a rare sight, the man, surnamed Ng, immediately took out his camera and zoomed in on the bird.

It was then that he realised that instead of being a red-legged heron, the bird's feet were actually cloaked in a red substance.

Ng then began checking the bird's surroundings, and he noticed an unknown pollutant at a nearby canal.

Later that day, Ng shared his encounter in a Facebook post accompanied by the photos he took of the heron and the canal.

In an update on Nov. 19 morning, Ng wrote that he had already reported the incident to the authorities and Acres (Animal Concerns Research and Education Society).

Acres statement

In response to Mothership's queries, Acres co-CEO Kalai Vanan Balakrishnan confirmed that the society is aware of the red substance found in the canal.

"We hope that PUB has cleared the red substance from the waterway," said Kalai.

He added that Acres understands the heron is currently being monitored and hopes that the substance has been fully cleared from the bird's legs.

PUB statement

PUB, Singapore's national water agency, said it was alerted to the red substance on Nov. 18 night.

According to PUB, the canal is located near Block 425 Hougang Avenue 10 and leads to Serangoon Reservoir.

"Our officers were deployed on-site to investigate but could not trace the source of the discharge, as most of the red substance had dissipated due to the ongoing rainy weather," said the agency.

PUB emphasised that no abnormalities were detected in the water quality downstream and in Serangoon Reservoir.

The agency added it will continue to monitor the location over the next few days.

PUB also reminded the public that it is illegal to discharge substances into public drains.

"The public can contact PUB at 1800-CALL-PUB (1800-2255-782) to report any suspected pollution in our waterways," added the agency.

Heron 'appeared healthy'

On Nov. 19 night, Ng updated that he had come across the troubled heron again earlier that evening.

According to photos he took of the bird, a significant chunk of the red substance had been cleared from its feet.

However, several red stains could still be seen on the bird's torso and wings.

Ng observed that the heron appeared healthy and could fly as usual.

Top images via Anderson Ng/Facebook