Changi Airport Shooting Down Endangered Birds

I was upset to read that Changi Airport is engaging S'pore Gun Club members regularly to shoot down birds. One of the bird species being shot down according to members of Gun club is the White Belly Sea Eagle. It is an endangered and protected species and there are only 50 of them in S'pore !

There are many ways to keep birds away from Airport area. We could fall back on research done in other countries and effective technology available. This is highlighted by an animal NGO in response to the report.

AVA the governing authority has failed in their duty by issuing the shooting permit. Changi Airport management has fallen short of discharging their corporate social responsibility towards nature conservation.

This is in contrast to the pleasant experience I had while working in SingTel years ago. A pair of White Belly Sea Eagles had nested on top of a telecommunication tower at Sentosa. The staff notified the Safety Dept, instead of calling the pest control. I checked with the Bird Park and upon learning it is a endanger species, we got the blessing of SingTel management to leave the eagles alone to hatch their eggs. It involved going out of the way not to disturb the birds for months until the chicks learn to fly. Management could have taken the easy way out and shot down the birds and destroyed their nest.

Doing the right thing may not be easy, but this is what corporate social responsibility is all about. Changi Airport management team's callous attitude towards endangered wildlife is a great let down !