SINGAPORE: Pigeons are causing inconvenience to several businesses in a Chinatown building as they nest and leave bird droppings. With this, shops primarily located on the first floor were affected, resulting in a sharp drop in business by 20%.
When a reporter from Shin Min Daily News visited the area, it was discovered that there were at least five bird nests made of branches and leaves on the high beams on the first floor, with some pigeons resting on the nests. Furthermore, there were at least two places on the ground floor where bird droppings were believed to have fallen recently.
A 77-year-old vendor who sells clothes on the first floor of the building recently complained that since October last year, there have been tree branches on the ground in front of his stall. He declared that pigeons were originally building their nests on the beams of the first floor, located behind his stall, but recently they have moved. This resulted in birth droppings falling in front of it, making it impossible to avoid.
The seller also revealed that his wife had once been hit on the head and on the clothes she was selling by a bird dropping. The seller admitted, “The bird droppings were still warm. She had to wash her hair immediately and buy new clothes to change into on the spot.”
Due to this, the couple is now fearing opening their store every day, constantly checking the bird’s nest and frightened that they might find bird droppings everywhere.
Aside from them, customers were also afraid of getting hit by the unexpected lottery. There was an incident when the sellers reminded their customer that there might be bird droppings, and the customer immediately ran away.
One more stall owner, a 50-year-old, stated that the sales of the store have been weak in recent years. The Lunar New Year should be their busiest time, but the bird droppings have been driving their customers away.
“Some clothes hanging on the upper row have been covered with covers, but bird droppings stick to the back of the covers and drip down, still soiling the other clothes on the lower row. Clothes stained with bird droppings cannot be washed; they become old clothes, so they can only be thrown away,” the stall owner remarked.
In similar reports, there was news as well where wild birds continuously trouble diners and vendors, with concerns that the meals might turn into bird food at any moment.
It was observed that birds occupied the tabletops, and diners needed to shoo them away before eating. Moreover, bird droppings also appear on the tables and chairs, and cleaners need to clean them up as soon as possible.
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