Residents complain, but when the pest control companies act, it can be a sorry sight.

Teacher Akiko Ng was on her way to her home in Block 51, Sims Drive when she saw a man pick up a dark object to put into a rubbish bag.

“It looked like a bird. But I dismissed it and thought it was probably a bottle,” Ms Ng, 33, said.

But then the “object” struggled and flew off. She found out that the man, a pest controller, was clearing away the dead pigeons his team had poisoned.

About 10 pigeons were on the ground, she recalled. It was the first time she had seen pigeons being culled after living in the estate for 31/2 years.

Another Sims Drive resident, Mr Bernard Tan, had written to The Straits Times Forum page last December.

His letter had urged the authorities to adopt a more humane way of controlling the pigeon numbers.

“I was horrified to see several pigeons convulsing,” he wrote, adding that children who had witnessed the scene were “visibly disturbed” too.

Ms Ng wondered too if there were alternatives to poisoning the pigeons.

In response, Mr Ng Cheng Tee, a senior property manager at Jalan Besar Town Council, which covers Sims Drive, said feeding of the birds was part of the pigeon pest problem.

“We’ve always urged residents to refrain from feeding the birds,” he said.

He added that there was a signboard on this in the open spaces as well as posters on notice boards at the town council.

He told The Sunday Times that the pest control firms found that poisoning was effective.

Fixed methods like bird nets could not be used at different locations.

Mr Ng said about two to three complaints are received each week. They include gripes about the mess left by bird droppings, and concerns about the health hazards to humans.

Infections linked to birds include psittacosis, a bacterial infection of the lungs, which shows pneumonia-like symptoms.

Dr Tan Ai Ling, senior consultant and head of diagnostic bacteriology at the department of pathology, Singapore General Hospital, said: “All birds, not just pigeons, are potential sources of infection.”

Other town councils also face the same issue: people feeding the birds.

“The leftover food and pigeon droppings are removed during our daily estate cleaning,” said a spokesman for Sembawang Town Council.

The pest control firms said they make an assessment before taking action.

Rentokil’s managing director Joseph Ong said bird traps or bird spikes to prevent pigeons from landing on open spaces are some other methods used.

“Bird-proofing or bird-netting are alternative solutions to consider,” he added.

The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) said pigeons often congregate in areas where there are roosting or feeding opportunities.

“These include hawker centres and places of worship,” said a spokesman for the AVA.

Since 1973, the feeding of pigeons in public places has been banned. Last year, eight people were fined $200 each for the offence.

There is no ruling on the feeding of other birds.

Mr Alan Owyong, chairman of the Nature Society of Singapore’s Bird Group, wants a longer-term solution, besides using repellents and chemicals.

“The most humane method would be to release them on the outer islands. Some may find their way back to the mainland, but many may die naturally due to scarcity of food, and certainly will not reproduce that fast,” he said.