Woman left ‘heartbroken’ after witnessing alleged pigeon poisoning at void deck
A netizen who witnessed what she described as a “pigeon-poisoning” operation in an HDB estate has spoken out against it, describing the scene as “heartbreaking” and saying that she later cleaned up the remaining bait from the area.
Facebook user May Lee shared a video of the incident on June 21, saying that she had witnessed the operation on June 15 while heading home after a badminton game.
The video showed a handful of pigeons pecking at black pellets scattered on the floor of an HDB void deck.
Moments later, two pigeons stop pecking and lie face down on the ground. One remains motionless, while the other flails helplessly with its head bent at an unnatural angle.
“I watched the birds suffer and die,” Lee said. “The experience was heartbreaking because the pigeons had done nothing wrong. They were simply being pigeons.”
She said she later removed the remaining bait from the area to prevent other birds or members of the public from coming into contact with it.
“When humane alternatives exist, we should be discussing and implementing them instead of relying on killing,” she added.
Stomp has reached out to May Lee for more information.
‘Completely pointless and distressing’
Lee’s post amassed over 695,000 views and 3,800 reactions, with mixed responses from the public.
Several netizens agreed with her, describing the operation as “cruel, evil and heartless”, while others raised concerns that stray cats and dogs might ingest the poison.
“Not only is this cruel, it is also completely pointless and distressing to people who see it,” another netizen raised, suggesting that sterilisation would be a more humane method of population control.
However, some netizens suggested that these measures contribute to a cleaner and safer environment for the community.
“Heartless but it is beneficial in the long run,” another netizen chimed in.
In 2025, a pigeon management plan piloted in three town council areas reduced the population by around 50 per cent, and was subsequently expanded to three more neighbourhoods.
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