A 71-year-old woman, Sanmugamnathan Shamla, has learned a hard lesson about the stringent environmental laws that underpin Singapore. Shamla continued to feed pigeons outside her home in Toa Payoh despite facing previous fines and warnings and was ultimately fined the sum of S$3,200 under the Wildlife Act.
Defiance History
This was not Shamla's first contact with the law around her bird-feeding act.
- May 2025: S$1,200 fine on feeding birds in the wild and blocking a National Parks Board (NParks) pigeon-trapping operation by causing birds to flee with a metal pole.
- Broken Promise: She pledged at her last hearing that she would never act again, even apologizing to her local MP. But the authorities caught her back at her “old ways” only three days after that apology.
The charges
Between July 2025 and January 2026, NParks authorities discovered Shamla feeding grain and bread to pigeons at least nine separate times. In court, prosecutors submitted four video clips of her surrounded by dozens of birds at Block 62B Lorong 4, Toa Payoh. The NParks prosecutor had said she was a "recalcitrant offender" and showed a "calculated willingness" to break the law, adding that warnings had not dissuaded this woman.
“I am Unemployed”: An appeal for Leniency
Shamla who had entered the case without having a lawyer and, so she pleaded for a lesser fine of about S$1,000 to S$2,000. “I am currently unemployed, and I don’t have any medical insurance.” “I will make up the remainder of the fine with community service,” she asked for. But as a repeat offender she could face up to a fine of S$10,000 per charge, the judge emphasized. Considering her age, the court found a total fine of S$3,200. When Shamla heard the final amount, she said she would pay it the same day in order to avoid going to prison.
Why is Feeding Pigeons illegal in Singapore?
Singapore’s status as “Garden City” is held up by strict cleanliness and public health regulations. Feeding wild birds isn’t allowed since:
- Pest Control: Leftovers attract rats and cockroaches.
- Overpopulation: When pigeons can eat human-provided food, the birds begin breeding more rapidly than they naturally would, resulting in copious droppings that wreak havoc on buildings and spread such diseases as psittacosis to local residents.
