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10 Facts About the Chickens Removal in Sin Ming, Because #RoosterYear

2017-02-02 , 5:54 pm

1.They were euthanized humanely

The Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) made sure that these chickens were treated like animals worthy of respect and dignity, and not livestock on their way to the slaughterhouse.

AVA has been known to maintain a standard of animal handling, and fortunately, they allowed these creatures to leave peacefully.

2. The main reason they were removed was noise complaints

We’re not deaf to the kind of squawking and screeching chickens can make, especially for those who’ve lived with such animals in kampongs in the past.

Having received 20 complaints about the chickens, mostly based on their noise level, AVA made the decision to put them to sleep.

3. Many were in disagreement with the course of action.

You would think that taking the chickens’ lives away would make those who complained happy.

But when TODAY interviewed 10 residents in the area, 7 felt that killing the chickens were wrong and the remaining 3 were fine with the solution as the sound was gone.

4. Other solutions were ruled out

Mr Louis Ng, founder of Animal Concerns Research & Education Society commented that relocating them to Pulau Ubin might have been possible.

Yet the AVA spokesperson mentioned that relocation was not possible in land-scarce Singapore, and Assistant Professor Frank Rheindt, from National University of Singapore’s department of biological sciences, believed that relocation would cause “contamination of the gene pool of the wild stock of junglefowl that we’re lucky to still have”.

5. The killed chicken was not endangered

TODAY had stated that the chickens removed were not of the endangered species. While it would be important to protect them, it was not the chicken’s status in nature that should have determined their value but their lives itself.

6. They were driven to that location due to construction

The construction of condominium Thomson Impressions, left the chickens homeless in 2015, and pushed them towards Blocks 452 and 454 nearby where this saga began

7. The culling extended to only the Sin Ming area

If you’re feeling a little nostalgic or just hope to have your sprits lifted after recent events, you could travel to places like Changi, Lim Chu Kang, or Commonwealth to take a look at the chickens.

8. This wasn’t the first time AVA tried to control chicken populations

In 2015, AVA attempted to catch some chickens in Queenstown, but were unsuccessful. Jogger and any passer-bys were able to admire the strolling chickens, and likely more amused than irritated.

9. It might be for our own good

Remember SARS? Or the H1N1 outbreak a few years ago? Letting poultry run around might result in higher chance of catching bird flu, which might mean another disastrous outbreak.

Hopefully the removal of these quaint creatures from the city isn’t inauspicious and will not bring some form of eminent danger upon the citizens. In the year of the Rooster, who knows that else will be ruffling our feathers?