What do reactions to peregrine falcons, tapirs, crows, cicadas tell of S’poreans’ links to nature?

The differential treatment of wildlife reflects the complex dynamic that Singaporeans have with nature. Read more at straitstimes.com.

SINGAPORE – Within the span of a month, Singapore’s wild residents have made headlines with a frequency befitting a city where nature thrives.

From the welcoming of four bumbling peregrine falcon eyasses (chicks) in OCBC’s Chulia Street headquarters to news on the resumption of shooting house crows, a task force to deal with cicada swarms in Tampines Changkat and a rare appearance of a Malayan tapir, encounters with wildlife have dominated the collective consciousness.

Yet, the public’s response to these encounters has been different. The falcons were treated as celebrities and the tapir wowed at, but crows and cicadas were regarded as neighbourhood nuisances to be managed, silenced or removed.

The differential treatment highlights the tricky relationship that Singapore residents have with wildlife, in that the more charismatic creatures – especially those that do not encroach into our living spaces – tend to earn our affection.

Wildlife that “trespass” into human territory, however, are scorned as pests. Some animals, like the otters, are starting to straddle both categories.

As the Government pushes forward with its vision of designing a City in Nature – or a city that can reap the benefits of green spaces while co-existing with their wild inhabitants – residents too must change their perceptions.