Driving in difficult situations - Pigeon and Mynah

( A pair of pigeon is getting ready to mate)

As in the local news today (26/8/2015); It is certainly a big surprise for me that Mr. Louis Ng Kok Kwong, an animal rights activist and founder of ACRES is a member of the People’s Action Party’s (PAP) Nee Soon GRC GE 2015 team.

I hope, if his team got elected as MP; he can help to champion the issue in resolving, the slowly but surely population exposure of Pigeon in Singapore heartlands. In fact, to bring the subject matter closer to Nee Soon GRC, all he needs to do, is, go to the open field near the Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, and see, how many Pigeons are there in the early afternoon.

For me, I am not keen to have an animal or bird as pet. In Woodlands Regional Interchange, there is a big frock of birds. Predominately, are the common Pigeon and Mynah.

 These birds congregated in this open space of the bus parking lots to catch the much needed water. These birds have learned that, the air-con outlet pipe or orifice from the bus do have drinkable water for their life sustaining requirement.

Whenever the bus is parked at the bay, the birds will come close to take advantage of the air-con water dripping onto the tarred ground.

There are many incidences, whereby a bird or two will get squash by the Bus R196 tyre and you can see how bloody is the scene like with white ivory bones been crushed into pieces and patches of red blood.

To recall, about a month ago, I have to confess that, without any intention to kill them, I think the other day, will crossing the cross traffic junction near Sembawang Sun Plaza; 3 Mynahs gathered at the middle of the road to have a drink, right before the traffic junction in the direction of the bus route.

Upon approaching the 3 Mynahs, I sounded the horn, and those 3 birds started to take off from ground zero. However, as I was passing them, one of them got it’s bearing position wrong; instead of flying to the left and away from of the 2.4M width of bus, this bird actually flew from the bus front towards the rear of the 12M bus. Immediately, I heard knocking sound coming from the under-carriage of the bus. A mynah bird is dead on the road, when I looked at the side rear mirror. Sorry….and wished a better rebirth for that mynah.

 In my view, the pigeon is really a nuisance to me; they will shit as and when they like, their dropping will got caught onto the bus big wind screen and I have to clean the shit away.

I did got good grade for my Biology in GCE “O” level; but Somehow, I could not understand their reproductive system or cycle like. This bird will mate anyway and anytime. Whenever there is an opportunity, they can do it on top the bus or perched  on the side rear mirror. I guess, to them, anywhere is also possible to mate.

When the birds are unwell, they will do sun-bathing, with their wings fully spread. While waiting to warm-up, their motor skill and movement is just like a drunkard. On one occasional, I witnessed this real animal behaviour unfolding in front of me.

This she bird is visibility unwell. However, the he bird (the naughty one), is just cannot wait to do his male propagation duty. He keeps on pecking and pecking the she bird, to order her to keep still so that he can do his job…….

Initially, because of her (sloth and torpor) state, she keeps on swaying to left and right, backward and forward and cannot keep still for the he bird to mate her. Later another 2 bird join in to peck her until she submitted and the mating completed in just a under 2seconds. To me it is a bloody scene. Not to be carried away from what I saw earlier, I have to practice an equanimity mental state for the rest of my day.

However, I think the mynahs are a bit more conservative than those pigeons; actually, till today, I yet to see a pair of mynah mating in front of me.

Lastly, in my view, the pigeon is really a nuisance animal and hopefully Mr. Louis Ng can come out some ideas on how best to promote Pigeon husbandry or farming.  However, not much luck for those poor black crows; that have been culled pretty often, by human.

Do you know which organization is empowered to do this routing crow culling?