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SINGAPORE: Two men were fined in court on Wednesday (September 16) for catching birds in unrelated cases. One of the birds died in a wire trap.
Koay Soon Lye, 68, was fined S $ 800 for catching a wild scarlet-backed woodpecker from the Jalan Kayu area in March last year.
Lim Thiam Hay, 67, was fined Singapore $ 1,200 for using a wire trap to capture a spotted pigeon in a patch of grass in West Coast Park in September last year. The bird died in the trap and was found dehydrated on a post-mortem examination.
Koay pleaded guilty to one count under the Wild Birds and Animals Act for trapping and capturing a wild bird, while Lim admitted to committing a crime under the Parks and Tree Regulations of using a trap to capture an animal in a public park.
In Koay’s case, the National Parks Board (NParks) had received comments from a member of the public about a wildlife poaching incident near 1 Brompton Road in Seletar.
NParks officers found Koay with a live scarlet-backed woodpecker in his nylon mesh bag, along with capture paraphernalia such as glue, wire cords, and an electronic sound device to call the birds.
Investigations revealed that Koay is “a bird lover” who left home that day to catch wild birds.
He admitted to catching the woodpecker near a temple along Jalan Kayu, and said he had gone to Brompton Road to catch more live birds, but was unsuccessful.
WIRE TRAP PLACED
In Lim’s case, a member of the public called the police about the illegal capture of birds in West Coast Park on September 18 of last year.
Lim had gone to a patch of grass in the park that morning and set up a wire trap to catch spotted pigeons.
He returned about two hours later and found a spotted pigeon caught in his trap, but it was dead. She buried the bird nearby before the police arrived.
When asked, Lim admitted that he had set the trap and caught the bird. He showed the police where he had buried the bird and recovered the body.
A post mortem examination by NParks Veterinary and Animal Services found that the spotted pigeon was in a dehydrated state.
The prosecutor requested fines for both men, noting that there has been an increase in cases of poaching of birds.
Ms Anbarasi Boopal, deputy executive director of the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (ACRES) wildlife rescue group, told CNA that a member of the public alerted the group to the case and had visited the site.
“We are pleased that NParks has taken action through prosecution, serving as a deterrent to those attempting to hunt wild birds,” he said.
ACRES handles a little more than 35 poaching cases a year, he said, adding that it is “alarming” that some people attempt poaching even in HDB areas or with traps hanging from their units.
He urged members of the public to report the alleged photo or video poaching activities to NParks or ACRES.
Lim could have been fined up to S $ 5,000 for using a trap on an animal in a public park, while Koay could have been fined S $ 1,000 for capturing a wild bird.
