Elderly woman fined for feeding grain to wild birds in Toa Payoh
Sanmugamnathan Shamla pleaded guilty to two counts under the Wildlife Act.
Eleven similar charges, including for disrupting a National Parks Board (NParks) pigeon trapping exercise, were taken into consideration.
Shamla was caught when NParks enforcement officers conducted checks near her home at Lorong 4 Toa Payoh after receiving feedback.
At about 4pm on Apr 11, 2023, NParks officers saw her feeding grain to wild birds and asked her to stop as this was an offence.
Under the Wildlife Act, it is illegal to feed wildlife without written approval from NParks' director-general of wildlife management.
After being so warned, Shamla continued to feed wild birds on multiple occasions up until November 2024.
On Feb 19, Shamla also hindered NParks officers carrying out a pigeon trapping exercise near her home.
She repeatedly banged a metal pole on the ground to chase the pigeons away before they could be trapped.
She continued to disrupt the trapping and also raised her voice when officers asked her to stop.
When she did eventually put down the pole, she clapped loudly, which caused the pigeons to scatter.
This forced the officers to abandon the pigeon trapping exercise, NParks prosecutor Lim Chong Hui said.
Mr Lim told the court that in 2020, Shamla was charged with eight counts of feeding stray pigeons. She was let off with a stern warning after she agreed to stop.
Calling her a "recalcitrant offender", he also said that the prosecution had sought a lower fine than usual, taking into account her personal circumstances and age.
Shamla's case should not be taken as a precedent as her case was unique, with its own set of facts, he said.
When the judge told her she would have to serve two days in prison if she did not pay the fine, Shamla said: "I don't think my health can handle prison."
She paid the fine in full on Wednesday.
A first-time offender who feeds wildlife without approval can be fined up to S$5,000.
Bishan-Toa Payoh was one of three town council estates where a pilot to step up management of the pigeon population ran from July 2024 to March.
The other two estates with large clusters of pigeons were Ang Mo Kio and Tanjong Pagar.
The pigeon management efforts included trapping and culling, reducing human-generated food sources, surveillance of illegal bird feeding and public education.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNA
4 hours ago
- CNA
National Basketball League Div 1 plays on despite 9 arrested for suspected match-fixing
National Basketball League Division 1 matches will continue amid match-fixing allegations. Nine people - including players in the league - were arrested. But the Singapore Basketball Association says there is no concrete evidence that the league has been compromised. Nikhil Khattar with more.
CNA
5 hours ago
- CNA
Sengkang Green Primary bullying case: MOE details timeline, says parents no longer want transfer after meeting
SINGAPORE: The Ministry of Education (MOE) on Wednesday (Aug 20) released a timeline of events after three Sengkang Green Primary School students were suspended over death threats made to a classmate and her mother. Three Primary 3 students were suspended in the incident, with the affected student's mother Ni Yin taking to Facebook to detail the alleged bullying that led to threats against her and her daughter. The school had said last Friday that in the course of its investigations, it found that the girl had also engaged in "hurtful behaviours". Her mother had called for tougher action on the bullies and a school transfer for her daughter. In a Facebook post on Wednesday, MOE said a four-hour meeting between the mother and the school has taken place. "The school ran through the full sequence of events with the parents of the affected student, including the hurtful behaviours that the affected student had engaged in. "The parents agreed to work with the school to have their child return to the current school with the enhanced safety plan in place, without further request for a school transfer." The ministry noted that there have been online discussions lately about the case, and it has decided to make public the facts of the case given the severity of the allegations. This was also done to "address the allegations made by the mother of the affected student that the school had been remiss in its handling of the incidents". Timeline MOE issued a timeline of events to the media. It is reproduced in full: End-April: The affected student reported student A for using an offensive slur on her and another classmate. As the affected student had also used an offensive slur on student A, the form teacher facilitated a verbal apology between the students involved for using bad language. Mid-July: The affected student verbally requested her form teacher to change her seat. The teacher decided to monitor the situation after receiving this request, as he observed that the affected student was talking and laughing with students A and B. Friday, Jul 25: The affected student again requested her form teacher to change her seat, as student A and B's chatter made it difficult for her to focus during lessons. She also said that the two students had used inappropriate language on her, and that student C had touched her face without consent. As she had admitted to using inappropriate language on students A and B, the three students were guided to apologise to each other and focus on mending their friendship. Later in the day, the form teacher informed the affected student that he had engaged her parent and would change her seat the following Monday. He would also look into her feedback regarding student C. Saturday, Jul 26: The affected student's mother reported to the school that she had received prank calls and death threats. Monday, Jul 28: The school pulled students A, B and C out from class. Based on the school's checks, student A had obtained the mobile number from his parent. Students A, B and C had made multiple prank calls to the parent of the affected student, with student C sending audio messages threatening the parent and her family. The school reprimanded all three students and informed their parents that they would be suspended from school immediately. That same morning, the vice principal met the affected student's parents to inform them about the actions that had been taken by the school, including a change of seat to separate her from the three students, and future plans to conduct bag checks after they had served their suspension. The vice principal also spoke to the affected student's parents on the telephone in the evening to share plans to assign peers to accompany the student in school. The safety plan was sent via email to the parents on Jul 31. As the affected student's parents had made a police report on the death threats, the school assured them that the school would review and take additional disciplinary actions, which may include caning, after police have looked into the matter. Wednesday, Jul 30: The affected student informed the form teacher that a classmate had sprayed water on her. Investigations conducted by the teacher established that this was after the affected student had used hurtful words on the classmate, including a racial slur to a classmate of another race, and telling others not to befriend the classmate. The classmate then sprayed water in retaliation. Both were counselled for their actions. The classmate's parent was informed of the incident, and the school had planned to share this with the affected student's parents at a face-to-face meeting. Thursday, Aug 7: School was informed of a bruise on the affected student. The school established that student C had swung his bag into the affected student during school dismissal. CCTV footage showed that the teacher present was managing another group of students and did not witness the incident, and no student had approached the teacher to alert him of the incident. Following investigations, the school engaged student C's parents. Student C was subsequently caned on Aug 12. Thursday, Aug 14: School arranged to meet the affected student's parents on Aug 18 to update them on the actions taken and steps to support the student's return to school. MOE said that for each reported incident, the school addressed the actions of the students involved in a timely manner, took firm disciplinary action, including caning where necessary, while "seeking to restore friendships and help the children to learn and grow". "The affected student had herself engaged in hurtful behaviour on some occasions, and the school had similarly handled these episodes in an even-handed manner. "In particular, for the incident involving the threats, the school immediately suspended the three students involved. "Given the severity of their actions, the school will mete out further disciplinary consequences, including caning." The ministry said Sengkang Green Primary School will continue to work with the parents of these nine-year-old children. It added that it had engaged the parents of the students on various occasions and informed them of the actions taken, as well as the safety plan for the girl. On Aug 14, the school made arrangements to meet the affected student's parents on Aug 18 to update them on the actions taken and the steps to support her return to school. "However, the parent took to social media on Aug 15 and Aug 16, before the meeting could take place, to make allegations that the school had not taken any action and had not put in place any safety plan," said the ministry. DOXXING The ministry and schools take a firm stand against bullying and hurtful behaviour, MOE said. 'We understand the anxieties of parents whose children may be affected by hurtful behaviour, and we urge parents to work closely with the school to support their child's well-being. 'When parents choose to publicise a dramatised, one-sided account on social media, it causes further emotional distress for their children and hinders school efforts to rehabilitate and reconcile.' MOE said that in this case, it led to online attacks and doxxing of educators and young children. 'These are bullying behaviours and send a wrong signal to children on what appropriate behaviour looks like.' MOE said that it will take firm action to safeguard the well-being of its staff, in accordance with MOE's Engagement Charter. It added that it takes reports about bullying seriously and educators attend to these reports by gathering facts and meting out necessary and timely disciplinary actions. 'In managing such cases, schools adopt an educative and restorative approach paired with appropriate discipline measures to correct misbehaviour and reinforce the right values, especially for cases involving younger children,' said MOE.
CNA
7 hours ago
- CNA
Indian miner Vedanta's demerger faces government pushback, CNBC-TV18 reports
The Indian government has objected to miner Vedanta's planned split into four new companies, arguing that the demerger could hinder its ability to recover dues from the company, news channel CNBC-TV18 reported on Wednesday. At a hearing conducted by the National Company Law Tribunal, the Indian government alleged that Vedanta modified the demerger scheme after securing a no objection certificate from the Securities and Exchange Board of India, CNBC said. The NCLT is a quasi-judicial body that adjudicates matters related to companies. Reuters could not immediately verify the court proceedings. Vedanta, in a statement, said that it had filed a detailed response to the government but did not share specifics. The ministry of mining and petroleum and natural gas did not respond to a Reuters request for comment. None of them have specified the amount being claimed. Vedanta said it has informed the tribunal that it will issue a corporate guarantee for its unit in favour of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas about the recovery of the dues in question. The oils-to-metals conglomerate had said in December that it would split into four new listed entities while remaining listed as a main company, scrapping an earlier plan to break up into six separate businesses. The government, through its legal representative, has alleged concealment and non-disclosure of key information related to the demerger, CNBC-TV18 reported. It also said that there was concealment and non-disclosure of key details, "inflated revenues" and "concealed liabilities," according to the report. Vedanta had said earlier this month it received a warning letter from SEBI citing certain non-compliances but did not address government's allegations in its statement. The NCLT has deferred the next hearing to September 17, the news channel added.
