Bidadari residents divided over fate of stray dogs as NParks plans removal for public safety

SINGAPORE – Bidadari residents are divided over the fate of four stray dogs in the neighbourhood park, after the National Parks Board (NParks) said it would remove the pack from the area for public safety.

Since Bidadari Park opened in September 2024, some 50 park-goers have complained of the dogs’ “territorial behaviour”, prompting the authority to intervene, said an NParks spokesperson on Feb 10.

Trappers are in the process of “humanely capturing” the dogs, said NParks, adding that it would work with animal welfare groups to “manage” the animals after they are caught.

But residents are in two minds about the move.

Some are appealing for the animals – likely the mix-breed Singapore Special dogs – to stay, saying the stress of eviction would kill the old and unusually skittish canines.

An online petition to save them has over 3,000 signatures.

Others, who were at the park on the evening of Feb 10 when The Straits Times visited, said the “big dogs” were frightening, with “fierce” barks and a habit of chasing people – a hazard that should be removed.

Most echoed the view of retiree Sukhmin Dar, who said he trusted the dogs would still be healthy after “rehoming”.

The dogs – believed to be between eight and 13 years old – occupy a forested section at the edge of the roughly 13ha park, separated from a footpath by orange netting.

In late January, NParks further fenced off the area with a blue tarp. It said the dogs could still move in and out freely.

Ms Jin Wei Ying, 59, who often takes her grandchildren to the park, welcomed the move that has helped “keep the dogs away”.

“I usually make loud noises to scare the dogs away. Sometimes I bring an umbrella out for protection,” she added.

Retiree Peter Lee said he had called NParks about the stray dogs. The 70-year-old who has two pet dogs of his own said: “They scared my dogs; 99 per cent of the dogs here are small, I’m scared for them.”

Park maintenance staff Chan Tuck Hon said: “They are frightening the maids and children, and I don’t think it’s right.

“If they kept quiet, maybe it would be better.”

No known attacks

Still, both camps said the dogs had never attacked anyone before.

Scientist Rachel Sim said in the past one to two years, she had seen the dogs only behind the netting.

“They have never come onto the footpath,” said the 31-year-old who signed the petition and has a view of the dogs’ territory from her window.

“There’s no direct risk to people walking,” she said.

The dogs have been in the area since 2017, when it was still a columbarium, said Ms Jermaine Chua, creator of the Let The Bidadari Dogs Continue To Live petition on Change.org.

Residents’ fear might stem from ignorance, suggested the 53-year-old retiree.

She said: “People may be afraid because they do not know there are dogs there but if you don’t provoke them, they won’t do anything to you.”

They bark because the new park has brought so many new people to their home, she said.

Together with seven other people, she has been feeding the pack since 2017, even after moving out of nearby Macpherson.

Said the former sales director: “They are very skittish and scared of humans and will be very difficult to re-home.

“In all this time, I have never seen them up close, only from afar. These dogs are hiding in the bushes.”

Warning that removal might mean death for the dogs, she added: “They only have one to two years left, we hope the public can let them be.”

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