'Unnecessary deaths': Birds found dead after colliding into glass panels at Dairy Farm bus stop
Multiple bird collisions at a glass-panelled bus stop along Dairy Farm Road has left netizens upset and demanding action.
The incidents occurred at around 8am on Nov 9, at a bus stop near the edge of Bukit Timah Nature Reserve.
Facebook user Jimmy Tan shared about the incident online, recounting that he was cycling when he noticed a green pink-necked pigeon lying lifeless on the ground.
As he went closer to investigate, he heard several loud thuds behind him and saw three Asian glossy starlings falling to the ground after slamming into the bus stop's glass panel.
While two of the birds recovered quickly and flew off, a third appeared disoriented and lay on its side, as seen in a video he shared. It eventually flew away after several minutes.
Mr Tan reported the sighting to the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM), and a student volunteer collected the bird at 12.39pm. The volunteer also found a second dead female pigeon nearby.
"Since this bus stop seems to have had a flurry of crashes, I will convey the details of the sightings to the relevant agencies for their attention," he wrote, urging authorities to implement measures to prevent more accidents.
Stomp has reached out to ACRES and LTA for comment.
Museum confirms incident
In response to Stomp queries, Tan Yen Yi, Assistant Senior Curator of Aves at LKCNHM, confirmed the incident and said the museum has received 45 reports of "bus stop deaths" in the last six years through its public hotline.
"Collision impacts are not always immediately fatal - sometimes birds die instantly, but sometimes they survive the initial impact but suffer internal injuries and succumb to them a distance away from the crash site," Dr Tan added.
Netizens riled
Mr Tan's TikTok post of the incident drew more than 124,000 views and 13,000 likes at press time.
In the comments, many netizens were outraged, with many calling for authorities to remove or redesign glass bus stop panels.
"No more glass designs please. Cover it with a wallpaper. I feel sad for these amazing birds," one netizen said.
Others called the cases "disheartening" and an "unnecessary death", while others pointed out that there was "no concrete purpose for the glass walls".
Many also praised Mr Tan for highlighting the issue, while others shared the post to help it gain traction.
"Thank you for raising awareness and helping to speak up for those that aren't able to speak our language," one netizen said.
