National Development Minister Chee Hong Tat announced on Wednesday, March 25, that crow shooting operations have commenced in parts of Singapore, beginning with Yishun and set to expand to several other districts in the coming weeks, as authorities step up efforts to manage the growing pest bird population.
Chee Hong Tat said in a Facebook post that the operations will be progressively rolled out to areas including Bishan, Jurong, Kranji, Punggol, Sembawang, Tampines, Toa Payoh and Woodlands. The initiative marks a renewed approach to tackling the increasing number of crow-related incidents reported across the island.
The shooting operations are intended to complement existing measures such as trapping, nest removal and reducing access to food sources.
The authorities will implement safety precautions at operation sites, including setting up cordons and warning signs to keep the public at a safe distance. Auxiliary police officers will also be deployed to oversee safety during the exercises.
Chee urged residents to play their part by refraining from feeding pest birds and ensuring proper disposal of food waste, noting that human behaviour contributes significantly to the proliferation of crows in urban areas.
The decision to resume crow shooting follows a sharp rise in complaints. In 2025 alone, more than 2,000 reports of crow attacks were made to the Municipal Services Office, a significant increase from just over 460 cases in 2020.
Overall feedback related to crows, including issues such as noise, droppings and feeding, also surged to around 15,000 reports, roughly three times the number recorded five years earlier.
Crow shooting was previously halted in 2020 after several safety incidents, including cases where pellets struck nearby homes. Investigations found that these incidents were linked to human error and lapses in adhering to safety protocols, and enforcement action was taken against those responsible.
Since then, agencies have relied on alternative methods such as trapping crows for culling, removing nests and reducing food availability. However, these measures have not been sufficient to curb the rapid growth of the crow population.
Data from the National Parks Board indicates a dramatic increase in the number of house crows in Singapore. The population reached about 160,000 in 2024, which is over 20 times higher than in 2016, highlighting the scale of the challenge faced by authorities.
The officials said that crows are highly adaptable to urban environments and can quickly become wary of traps, making population control increasingly difficult. The reintroduction of shooting operations is therefore seen as part of a broader, multi-pronged strategy to manage the issue more effectively.
As the operations expand across the island, authorities are balancing the need for population control with public safety, while also calling on the community to adopt responsible habits to reduce conditions that allow crows to thrive.
