Singapore court fines 71-year-old woman for feeding pigeons

Singapore, Feb 4 (PTI) A 71-year-old Indian-origin woman was on Wednesday fined SGD 3,200 (approximately USD 2,518) under the Singapore Wildlife Act for feeding pigeons nine times over about six months in the city-state's oldest housing estates.

Sanmugamnathan Shamla, a Singaporean from Toa Payoh housing estate, pleaded guilty to four charges under, with another five similar charges taken into consideration.

She had previously been fined for feeding wild birds and had promised not to do it again, according to a Channel News Asia report.

The court was told that Shamla was fined SGD 1,200 in May last year for illegally feeding wild birds near her apartment in Toa Payoh. She also disrupted a National Parks Board (NParks) pigeon trapping exercise.

An NParks prosecutor told the court that Shamla knew it was an offence to feed wild birds but persisted in her ways on nine occasions between July 2025 and January 2026.

“The accused stands before you as a repeat offender,” the prosecutor said, adding that Shamla has a “persistent disregard for the law.” Shamla had given her personal undertaking to the court at her previous conviction that she would not re-offend, but she was back to “her old ways” within one month, the Channel had the prosecutor as saying in the court.

The prosecutor noted Shamla's age, but said the empty promises demonstrated that only a “meaningful financial penalty” would deter Shamla.

She sought a fine of SGD 800 to SGD 1,000 per charge, according to the Channel report.

Shamla, who was unrepresented, asked if the fine could be in the “1,000 to 2,000 dollar brackets,” saying she was unemployed and had no medical insurance.

“I will make up the balance... by community service,” she said.

When she heard the final amount, she said she would pay the fine on the same day.

As a repeat offender intentionally feeding wildlife without written approval, she could have been fined up to SGD 10,000 per charge. PTI GS NPK NPK