Why was periodic culling not considered if chickens were a threat?

I refer to the letter “Free-roaming chickens culled for public health reasons, not noise” (Feb 14).

It said that the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority has a responsibility to ensure that Singapore is free from associated animal and plant diseases that pose a threat to public health.

It added that chickens are susceptible to the bird flu virus and have the potential to transmit the disease to humans, as demonstrated by the outbreak in our region in 2004.

So why did the AVA not embark on a periodic culling of these free-roaming chickens instead of proceeding after objections to the noise from the fowl in Sin Ming and Pasir Ris estates?

The AVA should carefully and humbly study the options proposed by the Voices writers, such as sending these fowl to Pulau Ubin, the Botanic Gardens or farms in Kranji, and contemplate assimilating some of these into its standard operating procedures.

Our society should be geared towards a more compassionate, tolerant stance on animals.

As far as the local circumstances are concerned, is there compelling evidence that free-roaming chickens now harbour the bird flu virus?

Suffice to say, the AVA had overreacted. At best it suggests these chickens possess the potential to be carriers.

Geese and ducks are also a medium for transmitting the virus, albeit to a lesser extent. Does this mean that the AVA would cull these categories of fowl too?

What about pigeons scattered across common spaces on the island? Is the AVA expending efforts and resources to cull them, considering that their excreta carry bacteria that pose a threat to humans?

We should not deprive animals such as chickens, along with domestic animals, of the right to live. We must demonstrate nobility, a virtue and attribute befitting a world-class nation in the 21st century.

The quality of a nation can be gleaned from the way its citizens treat animals. The AVA’s approach comes across as facile and draconian. Its actions appeared to have been taken hastily, without careful thought.

Until all efforts and options are exhausted, AVA should not resort to culling as an expedient method of problem-solving.