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SINGAPORE – The National Parks Board (NParks) is investigating after a man was seen feeding bananas to a pair of hornbills at Loyang Way Food Village.
A member of the public captured the act on video, which also showed the birds eating leftovers.
Under the Wildlife Act, first-time offenders caught feeding wild animals can be fined up to $ 5,000, and repeat offenders could be fined up to $ 10,000, NParks said on Friday (December 4).
The video, which circulated via social media on Sunday, shows customers watching birds as hornbills collect food from dining room tables.
Soon after, a man in a blue shirt peels a banana and throws some pieces at them.
The largest hornbill can be seen feeding the smaller pieces of the fruit.
Several nature enthusiasts criticized the act online.
“NParks have gone to great lengths to revive the hornbill population in Singapore.
“I am very concerned that hornbills will become bolder and more annoying like monkeys and pigeons because humans deliberately feed them or leave food uncleaned at feeding centers,” said 64-year-old retiree Choo Hor Kan, who shared the video on the Nature Society Singapore Facebook group. .
On Monday, the Chinese evening newspaper Lianhe Wanbao identified the man as Mr. Tan.
He told the newspaper that he did not know that feeding the birds would become a daily habit for hornbills.
“A customer told me that if I give fruit to these types of birds, they will go away,” said the 48-year-old plate collector, who works in the cafeteria.
For about six months, Mr. Tan would prepare two bananas provided by his boss or bought with his own money.
“I have no other choice; if I don’t feed them, they won’t leave,” he added.
A vendor who ran the drinks stand told Wanbao that the birds started visiting us about half a year ago.
They appeared almost every day between 11 am and 4 pm.
Responding to inquiries from The Straits Times, NParks said it seriously considers feeding wild animals.
“One of the main reasons wildlife gets close to humans is due to food.
“Feeding, intentional or not, alters the natural behavior of wildlife and habituates them to human presence and dependence on humans as an easy source of food,” said How Choon Beng, director of wildlife management at NParks .
This can lead to aggressive behavior when encountering humans.
Wild animals can also venture into urban areas to find human sources of food, posing a potential danger to motorists and animals when roaming the roads.
Feeding can also result in an unsustainable increase in population due to an artificial increase in food, How said.
This can also lead to wildlife losing their natural foraging abilities and struggling to survive in their natural environment when there is no food source available.
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