Singapore Reintroduces Strategic Crow Shooting Operations With Enhanced Safety Protocols to Curb Invasive Population

NParks resumes crow culling with strict safety zones and upward trajectory firing to manage Singapore’s surging 160,000-strong invasive bird population.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 2, 2026, 8:41 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from The Straits Times

Urban Culling Operations Resumed Amid Safety Overhaul

The National Parks Board (NParks) has officially relaunched its crow shooting program, starting in Yishun and expanding to eight additional districts including Bishan, Jurong, and Tampines. This resumption comes after a six-year hiatus and a significant review of tactical procedures conducted alongside the Singapore Police Force and the Ministry of Home Affairs. To prevent the accidental discharge of pellets toward residential areas, which halted previous operations in 2020, every shooter is now confined to a strictly demarcated zone characterized by high visibility cones and safety tape.

Strategic Decoys and Targeted Ballistics

During a live demonstration at the Bulim Heavy Vehicle Park, wildlife management contractors demonstrated the use of specialized auditory machines that mimic crow distress signals to lure the birds into specific cordoned-off zones. Shooters utilize long-barreled firearms designed to fire pellets approximately the size of a grain of rice, specifically targeting the invasive house crow (Corvus splendens). The operational protocol mandates that all shots must be fired in an upward trajectory to ensure that gravity and distance minimize the risk of stray projectiles causing collateral damage.

Managing an Invasive Surge in the Urban Core

The decision to resume shooting follows data showing a massive spike in Singapore’s crow population, which ballooned from roughly 7,200 in 2016 to an estimated 160,000 in 2024. These birds are classified as invasive species that not only harass native biodiversity, such as raptors and yellow-vented bulbuls, but also pose direct physical threats to residents. Reports of crow attacks reached a record high of over 2,000 cases in 2025, a fourfold increase from 2020 levels, indicating that non-lethal methods like trapping and nest removal have become insufficient on their own.