SINGAPORE: Bird nuisance has always been a problem at food and market centres in the country, and vendors and cleaners have now come up with another way to scare these birds away—using laser pointers.
When Shin Min Daily News visited a food centre located at Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10, it was observed that many birds gathered near the dish return area and garbage cans to eat the leftovers. Moreover, some birds even fly into the stalls for food.
In an interview, a 64-year-old food stall owner admitted that the birds often gather on the beams and pillars of the food centre, and bird droppings would fall directly onto the ground or the diners’ tables.
Another 62-year-old vendor declared that in order to keep the floor clean, she has to sweep the bird droppings several times a day, and it added to her daily workload.
To somehow scare these birds away, one claimed: “Many of us vendors have laser pointers, which we use to scare away birds that fly above customers.” More so, one of the solutions that they had been implementing in the centre is that cleaners speed up clearing of leftover food from the tables to prevent birds from flying in.
Better situation after the renovation process
The Ang Mo Kio Town Council recently shared that the market and hawker centre will be closed for two months from June 8 for comprehensive maintenance and renovation. It is expected to reopen on August 8.
The renovation includes a range of upgrades, such as replacing tables and chairs, installing more fans, adding more bird control equipment, and improving the toilets. People expect that the bird situation would get a lot better after the renovation process.
Other related news
In similar news related to bird disturbances, these were also reported disturbing a coffee shop located in Toa Payoh when they directly fly onto the tables and snatch diners’ food.
With this, the diners admitted that it was difficult to send them away, and the vendors even made their own partitions to prevent the birds from entering.
Read more about the news story here.
