STI News: Crow culling: Police probe alleged scam

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Crow culling: Police probe alleged scam

 

 

 

FOR more than a year, the National Environment Agency (NEA) has been paying

professionals to cull crows.

 

Now, three of these men are being investigated by police for allegedly

producing the downed birds to collect the $5 bounty, then retrieving the

carcasses to make a second claim. This allegedly took place over several months.

 

The men formed one of the teams of three engaged by Cisco, under a contract

with the NEA, to cull the birds.

 

Though the amount of money involved is not known, a person familiar with the

process pointed out that at $5 a bird - each team shoots an average of 50 to 70

crows a day - over a period of months, the illegal bounty could amount to

thousands of dollars.

 

When contacted yesterday, an NEA spokesman would only say: 'We are unable to

comment further as the case is currently being investigated by the police. Crow

culling by Cisco, under a contract with NEA, continues in the meantime.'

 

Cisco has confirmed that the men involved in the investigation have been

suspended from service.

 

A spokesman declined to give details, but said it is the first such case of its

kind.

 

The three men are all members of the Singapore Gun Club (SGC). A club spokesman

stressed that all three were hired by Cisco in their personal capacity, and are

distinct from the SGC members who cull crows for the NEA on a voluntary basis.

 

He added: 'The SGC does not manage crow culling in Singapore. It nominates

volunteer shooters to the NEA who are then vetted, approved and licensed by the

authorities for crow culling.

 

'SGC volunteers do not receive any bounty or any other payment.'

 

When approached by The Straits Times yesterday, one of the cullers being

investigated said that he was on leave when the allegations first surfaced

earlier this year. The former national shooter, who declined to be named,

insisted that he had not done anything wrong.

 

Meanwhile, the NEA said efforts to keep the crow population in check are

continuing. It said 110,000 crows have been culled since January 2001.

 

'The crow population was brought down from 120,000 in 2001 to about 30,000 as

of July 2003.

 

'We will continue with our crow culling operations until we have brought down

the crow population to a manageable level,' said the spokesman.

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