“This is not Central Park, hello.” — Stall owner tells customer who throws food to feed bird

SINGAPORE: An online user recently took to a social media group to share an incident where a customer allegedly threw food on the floor to feed a bird. The customer’s actions left the stall owner with more to clean.

An anonymous participant in the online group Complaint Singapore took a complaint public on Wednesday (Oct 25) after a customer allegedly made an “unnecessary mess.”

“I want to complain!” the stall owner wrote. “Got one uncle eating at the coffee shop with his family. He spotted a bird looking for food. And he threw some food on the floor to feed the bird. In front of my stall some more!” The stall owner expressed frustration over having to clean up after the customer, saying, “Now I have to clean up this unnecessary mess. Just why?”

The online user added, “This is not Central Park, hello?? People (here are) doing business, don’t cause UNNECESSARY mess.”

According to the post, the alleged incident occurred at Blk 722 Clementi West St 2.”

National Parks Singapore states on its website that “anyone caught feeding wildlife anywhere in Singapore can incur a maximum fine of up to $10,000.”

Though for many people, their reason for feeding wild animals is to show care for the living creatures, in one article, the NPS shares three reasons why doing so could do more harm than good. For one, feeding wild animals can contribute to unsustainable population growth.

Secondly, doing so can cause the behaviour of the wild animals to change. By feeding these animals, they may tend to leave the boundaries of their natural habitat or even become more aggressive towards humans in search of food. The latter is more likely, especially if the animals begin associating human beings with obtaining food. This causes the creatures to be more inclined to be around humans in urban zones and may be more at risk of getting hurt as the city is not always safe for them.

Third, human food may not always meet the nutritional requirements of animals. Certain foods can make animals sick.

Given these points, refraining from feeding wild animals helps keep the creatures safe.