{"id":12492,"date":"2026-03-24T18:07:07","date_gmt":"2026-03-24T18:07:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hrnww.com\/?p=12492"},"modified":"2026-03-24T18:07:07","modified_gmt":"2026-03-24T18:07:07","slug":"71-year-old-singaporean-woman-fined-3200-for-repeatedly-feeding-pigeons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hrnww.com\/?p=12492","title":{"rendered":"71-Year-Old Singaporean Woman Fined $3,200 for Repeatedly Feeding Pigeons"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"model-response-message-contentr_e69befd72a34ad51\" class=\"markdown markdown-main-panel enable-updated-hr-color\" dir=\"ltr\" aria-live=\"polite\" aria-busy=\"false\">\n<p data-path-to-node=\"1\"><b data-path-to-node=\"1\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">SINGAPORE (HRNW):<\/b> A 71-year-old woman has found herself in significant legal trouble after her persistent habit of feeding wild birds led to a substantial court-ordered fine. Sanmugamnathan Shamla was ordered to pay 3,200 Singaporean Dollars (approximately 2,518 USD) for repeatedly feeding pigeons near her residential block in Toa Payoh, a violation of the country&#8217;s strict Wildlife Act.<\/p>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"2\">The court heard that Shamla admitted to four charges of intentional feeding, with an additional five similar incidents taken into consideration during sentencing. This is not her first encounter with the law regarding this habit; she was previously fined 1,200 SGD in May 2025. Despite that prior conviction and a personal pledge to the court to stop, National Parks Board (NParks) surveillance captured her scattering grain and bread for birds on at least nine occasions between July 2025 and January 2026.<\/p>\n<h3 data-path-to-node=\"3\"><b data-path-to-node=\"3\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">Key Details of the Case<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul data-path-to-node=\"4\">\n<li>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"4,0,0\"><b data-path-to-node=\"4,0,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">Recalcitrant Behavior:<\/b> Prosecutors described the woman as a repeat offender with a &#8220;persistent disregard for the law,&#8221; noting that she resumed feeding birds just one month after her previous court appearance.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"4,1,0\"><b data-path-to-node=\"4,1,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">Evidence:<\/b> Video footage presented in court showed the elderly woman surrounded by large flocks of pigeons near her flat, often feeding them late at night.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"4,2,0\"><b data-path-to-node=\"4,2,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">Health and Safety Concerns:<\/b> The court emphasized that feeding wildlife is not a harmless act; it causes unnatural bird population growth, leads to environmental contamination through droppings, and poses serious public health risks by attracting other pests like rats.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"4,3,0\"><b data-path-to-node=\"4,3,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">Financial Plea:<\/b> Although Shamla requested a lower fine\u2014citing that she is unemployed and lacks medical insurance\u2014the judge maintained the penalty to serve as a deterrent, given her history of broken promises to the authorities.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"5\">Under Singapore\u2019s Wildlife Act, repeat offenders caught feeding wildlife without written approval can face fines of up to 10,000 SGD per charge. Following the announcement of the 3,200 SGD total, the woman informed the court she would settle the amount on the same day.<\/p>\n<hr data-path-to-node=\"6\" \/>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"7\"><b data-path-to-node=\"7\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">Support Independent Journalism:<\/b> At HRNW, we bring you unique stories of civic discipline and legal developments from around the globe. Your support ensures we can continue to provide a window into the world&#8217;s diverse legal landscapes. Support us today at <a class=\"ng-star-inserted\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/search?q=https:\/\/hrnw.com\/support-us\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-hveid=\"0\" data-ved=\"0CAAQ_4QMahgKEwjSiPerjrmTAxUAAAAAHQAAAAAQoQE\">hrnw.com\/support-us<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"8\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"pvc_stats_12492\" class=\"pvc_stats total_only  \" data-element-id=\"12492\" style=\"\"><i class=\"pvc-stats-icon medium\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" version=\"1.0\" viewBox=\"0 0 502 315\" preserveAspectRatio=\"xMidYMid meet\"><g transform=\"translate(0,332) scale(0.1,-0.1)\" fill=\"\" stroke=\"none\"><path d=\"M2394 3279 l-29 -30 -3 -207 c-2 -182 0 -211 15 -242 39 -76 157 -76 196 0 15 31 17 60 15 243 l-3 209 -33 29 c-26 23 -41 29 -80 29 -41 0 -53 -5 -78 -31z\"\/><path d=\"M3085 3251 c-45 -19 -58 -50 -96 -229 -47 -217 -49 -260 -13 -295 52 -53 146 -42 177 20 16 31 87 366 87 410 0 70 -86 122 -155 94z\"\/><path d=\"M1751 3234 c-13 -9 -29 -31 -37 -50 -12 -29 -10 -49 21 -204 19 -94 39 -189 45 -210 14 -50 54 -80 110 -80 34 0 48 6 76 34 21 21 34 44 34 59 0 14 -18 113 -40 219 -37 178 -43 195 -70 221 -36 32 -101 37 -139 11z\"\/><path d=\"M1163 3073 c-36 -7 -73 -59 -73 -102 0 -56 133 -378 171 -413 34 -32 83 -37 129 -13 70 36 67 87 -16 290 -86 209 -89 214 -129 231 -35 14 -42 15 -82 7z\"\/><path d=\"M3689 3066 c-15 -9 -33 -30 -42 -48 -48 -103 -147 -355 -147 -375 0 -98 131 -148 192 -74 13 15 57 108 97 206 80 196 84 226 37 273 -30 30 -99 39 -137 18z\"\/><path d=\"M583 2784 c-38 -19 -67 -74 -58 -113 9 -42 211 -354 242 -373 16 -10 45 -18 66 -18 51 0 107 52 107 100 0 39 -1 41 -124 234 -80 126 -108 162 -133 173 -41 17 -61 16 -100 -3z\"\/><path d=\"M4250 2784 c-14 -9 -74 -91 -133 -183 -95 -150 -107 -173 -107 -213 0 -55 33 -94 87 -104 67 -13 90 8 211 198 130 202 137 225 78 284 -27 27 -42 34 -72 34 -22 0 -50 -8 -64 -16z\"\/><path d=\"M2275 2693 c-553 -48 -1095 -270 -1585 -649 -135 -104 -459 -423 -483 -476 -23 -49 -22 -139 2 -186 73 -142 361 -457 571 -626 285 -228 642 -407 990 -497 242 -63 336 -73 660 -74 310 0 370 5 595 52 535 111 1045 392 1455 803 122 121 250 273 275 326 19 41 19 137 0 174 -41 79 -309 363 -465 492 -447 370 -946 591 -1479 653 -113 14 -422 18 -536 8z m395 -428 c171 -34 330 -124 456 -258 112 -119 167 -219 211 -378 27 -96 24 -300 -5 -401 -72 -255 -236 -447 -474 -557 -132 -62 -201 -76 -368 -76 -167 0 -236 14 -368 76 -213 98 -373 271 -451 485 -162 444 86 934 547 1084 153 49 292 57 452 25z m909 -232 c222 -123 408 -262 593 -441 76 -74 138 -139 138 -144 0 -16 -233 -242 -330 -319 -155 -123 -309 -223 -461 -299 l-81 -41 32 46 c18 26 49 83 70 128 143 306 141 649 -6 957 -25 52 -61 116 -79 142 l-34 47 45 -20 c26 -10 76 -36 113 -56z m-2057 25 c-40 -58 -105 -190 -130 -263 -110 -324 -59 -707 132 -981 25 -35 42 -64 37 -64 -19 0 -241 119 -326 174 -188 122 -406 314 -532 468 l-58 71 108 103 c185 178 428 349 672 473 66 33 121 60 123 61 2 0 -10 -19 -26 -42z\"\/><path d=\"M2375 1950 c-198 -44 -350 -190 -395 -379 -18 -76 -8 -221 19 -290 114 -284 457 -406 731 -260 98 52 188 154 231 260 27 69 37 214 19 290 -38 163 -166 304 -326 360 -67 23 -215 33 -279 19z\"\/><\/g><\/svg><\/i> <img decoding=\"async\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" alt=\"Loading\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hrnww.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/page-views-count\/ajax-loader-2x.gif\" border=0 \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>SINGAPORE (HRNW): A 71-year-old woman has found herself in significant legal trouble after her persistent habit of feeding wild birds led to a substantial court-ordered fine. Sanmugamnathan Shamla was ordered to pay 3,200 Singaporean Dollars (approximately 2,518 USD) for repeatedly feeding pigeons near her residential block in Toa Payoh, a violation of the country&#8217;s strict&#8230;<\/p>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"pvc_stats_12492\" class=\"pvc_stats total_only  \" data-element-id=\"12492\" style=\"\"><i class=\"pvc-stats-icon medium\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" version=\"1.0\" viewBox=\"0 0 502 315\" preserveAspectRatio=\"xMidYMid meet\"><g transform=\"translate(0,332) scale(0.1,-0.1)\" fill=\"\" stroke=\"none\"><path d=\"M2394 3279 l-29 -30 -3 -207 c-2 -182 0 -211 15 -242 39 -76 157 -76 196 0 15 31 17 60 15 243 l-3 209 -33 29 c-26 23 -41 29 -80 29 -41 0 -53 -5 -78 -31z\"\/><path d=\"M3085 3251 c-45 -19 -58 -50 -96 -229 -47 -217 -49 -260 -13 -295 52 -53 146 -42 177 20 16 31 87 366 87 410 0 70 -86 122 -155 94z\"\/><path d=\"M1751 3234 c-13 -9 -29 -31 -37 -50 -12 -29 -10 -49 21 -204 19 -94 39 -189 45 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