Singapore crow complaints increased from 5K to 15K, triggers the return of crow shooting operations

SINGAPORE: Crow complaints in Singapore have tripled in the last five years, and it has been causing great disturbance to citizens. The Minister for National Development, Chee Hong Tat, announced that Singapore is set to resume its crow shooting operations starting the second half of March 2026 as an additional measure to reduce the growing crow population in the country. 

In a social media post, the minister admitted that the operations will carry some risks since shotguns will be used, and that the authorities are carefully managing these risks alongside enhanced safety measures for all. 

“Shooters will go through training and are required to adhere to strict safety controls. This includes ensuring that the trajectory of the shotgun pellets is directed upwards at all times, which means the shooter must shoot upwards, as well as cordoning off the shooting zone with clear signage and providing sufficient safety personnel to prevent unauthorised access during the shooting operations,” the post stated. 

Increased crow complaints

The complaints about crows received by town councils in the country have more than doubled—from nearly 5,000 in 2020 to an estimated number of 15,000 in 2025. Furthermore, there is a surge of crow attacks on people, from 460 to over 2,000. 

Discontinuation of the shooting operations

Since 2020, the crow shooting operations have been discontinued, and NParks has only relied on other measures such as trapping, nest removal, and reducing food sources for the birds. 

The National Parks Board revealed that 9,000 crow nests were distributed across the island in 2025, more than ten times the number in 2021, with over 600. Trapping has also been rampant, with the number of crows captured increasing dramatically from over 1,800 in 2021 to over 13,000 in 2025. However, these methods seemed to be ineffective given the increased numbers of not just the birds, but also resident complaints. 

Safety concerns

Regarding safety, the National Park Service has renegotiated safety measures with the police force. These measures include that guns must always be pointed upwards, warning tape and signs must be placed in the designated shooting area, and additional personnel will be deployed to prevent unauthorised personnel from approaching. 

Furthermore, only certified professionals who have undergone formal firearms training will be allowed to fire.