'I didn't know what it was': Chinatown crow attack victim says he was blindsided and pecked multiple times

Crows were in the news recently when they attacked elderly men in Chinatown who were apparently balding or bald.

AsiaOne was at the scene on Friday (April 24) and talked to some of them who were attacked.

Chang Yeng Yew, 67, is one of them.

He told AsiaOne that he was pecked at least thrice as he was walking in the area.

"It flew over and I was shocked because I didn't know what it was," he said. 

"It pecked my head two to three times, there was nothing I could do about it."

Chang, who runs a fried bee hoon stall at Block 335 in Chinatown, said that he wasn't afraid of the birds — but rather angry.

When asked if he might have prepared something to protect himself from future attacks, Chang said that he did not.

"I'll just let it happen," he dismissed with a laugh.

@asiaone Since April 19, locals in Chinatown have witnessed or experienced crow attacks. They tell AsiaOne what they saw. Also, learn how you can avoid being a target. #sgnews #Singapore #Wildlife #Animals #Birds #Safety ♬ original sound - AsiaOne

Thin-haired targets

Tang May Yuet, 62, witnessed how Chang was attacked and pointed out how he has got more wary of the birds since.

She said she started noticing such attacks from April 19.

"I'd see crows flying all over the area — those with especially thin hair seemed to be the target," Tang said in Mandarin.

Occasionally, they would claw at the victims instead of pecking them, she added.

While there were more crows on previous days, there appeared to be less on Friday, the sales assistant told AsiaOne.

They would begin their attacks as early as 7.30am, continuing until 10am. They would then fly away before coming back again around 5pm, she said.

"One auntie was even besieged by attacks until she fell," Tang recounted.

Some people who frequent the area have also adapted, bringing umbrellas with them to shield themselves from the birds.

In her 30 years of working there, Tang said she has never seen anything like this.

She reported the incidents to the National Environment Agency (NEA) on April 19 and was contacted by the agency on Tuesday for more information.

According to an advisory on crows available on OneService, the fledging season of May to June are when chicks learn to fly and their parents might be protective.

Crows are also grudge-holding birds and can recognise faces, so accidentally offending one of them may result in an individual getting attacked.

The public is advised to contact Animal and Veterinary Service at 1800-476-1600 for the removal of crow nests or crow-related issues in their neighbourhood.

AsiaOne has reached out to NParks and NEA for more information.

Additional reporting by Elzann Poh and Shafiq Apandi

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khooyihang@asiaone.com