Anyone visiting Singapore during this period (early 2026) might be surprised to see chickens, birds, and various other animals roaming freely in public parks and blending seamlessly into urban life.

In the past, Singapore started with the "Garden City" vision, focusing on intensive tree planting and creating numerous parks. This earned the city a global reputation as one of the world's greenest cities. Today, however, Singapore is moving into a deeper, more profound chapter. An interesting question arises: why are we now seeing wild animals like chickens and birds co-existing with urban society, and how does Singapore manage these shared spaces?

Based on various documents and articles, the author found that Singapore’s green policies have evolved through three major eras.

• Phase 1 Garden City Started in 1967, Initiated by former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, this vision aimed to rapidly plant roadside trees, build parks, and clean up the city. The main goal at the time was to create a pleasant living environment to attract foreign investors.

• Phase 2 City in a Garden Started in the 1990s, The Singaporean government upgraded its approach from just planting trees along streets to transforming the entire city into a massive garden. Parks were linked together through the Park Connector Network (PCN). This era also gave birth to world-class megaprojects like Gardens by the Bay (launched in 2012) and pushed the trend of vertical greening on high-rise buildings.

• Phase 3 City in Nature Started 2020, This vision was officially announced as a key pillar of the Singapore Green Plan 2030 in Urban development shifted from a Garden City to a "City in Nature" Instead of simply inserting trees into a concrete jungle, this phase integrates original ecosystems into the urban fabric, expands forest areas, conserves biodiversity, and seamlessly connects city infrastructure with nature.

Today, we see wildlife such as Red Junglefowl, various bird species, and otters living alongside the community. The author's research shows that this is not an accident, but the result of comprehensive strategies by the Singaporean authorities

1. Creating Nature Ways Singapore does not build isolated parks; instead, it connects green spaces into "Green Corridors." This allows wildlife from the central catchment areas, like the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, to safely disperse into neighborhood parks.
2. Ecological Restoration Moving away from neatly manicured lawns that require constant trimming, the city now plants native flora and allows natural water bodies to thrive. This provides abundant food sources and habitats for birds, insects, and other animals
3. Strict Laws and Management Singapore strictly enforce laws prohibiting the feeding of wildlife (including wild chickens and certain birds). This ensures animals rely on natural food sources, remain non-aggressive, and allows nature to balance the animal population.

For the author, the most significant aspect of this phenomenon is Singapore’s push toward becoming a "Biophilic City" (a city that connects humans with nature) so that people, urban spaces, and animals can truly co-exist. The sights witnessed by tourists and the author of Singaporeans encountering wild chickens on their way to the market, or joggers running past sea otters, reflect a shared commitment to space-sharing and peaceful co-existence.

However, before achieving this peaceful co-existence, this policy faced several challenges. According to The Straits Times (2022), as green spaces became connected, some wild animals adapted too well to the urban environment. This led to rapid population growth and human-wildlife conflicts, such as

• Otters invading private homes and public ponds to prey on expensive koi fish.
• Wild Boars wandering onto roads, digging for food in residential areas, and occasionally attacking people.
• Long-tailed Macaques raiding condominium balconies and rummaging through belongings for food.

Nevertheless, the Singapore government did not abandon its co-existence policy or harm the wildlife. Instead, they applied scientific methods to promote harmony between people, the city, and animals. The National Parks Board (NParks) uses animal tagging, behavioral research, and systematic population counts to monitor high-density areas.

If an area becomes overcrowded, they implement Relocation and Population Control humanely, catching and releasing animals deep into forests or nature reserves far from human communities. Sterilization is also used for certain species. Furthermore, Habitat Modification is applied, such as designing "wildlife-proof bins" to prevent animals from relying on human food waste, and trimming wildlife food trees away from residential boundaries.

Personally, the author believes that beyond Singapore’s vision, the success of this policy relies heavily on the cooperation of four main pillars: citizens, volunteers, academics, and the government. They collaborate through meetings, activities, monitoring, education, and local problem-solving. Specialized task forces have been established, such as the Otter Working Group and the Long-tailed Macaque Working Group. Additionally, the "Our Wild Neighbours" (OWN) campaign was launched to educate citizens and residents on how to behave when encountering wildlife.

Proactive measures, strong collaboration, and scientific approaches combined with public education to adjust urban behavior have successfully transformed wildlife from "pests" into "neighbors" capable of sustainable co-existence. In the past, Singapore might have only painted its concrete structures green. But in this next chapter, Singapore is erasing the boundary between "forest" and "city," merging them into one. The wild animals appearing in the city today are not lost; they are officially invited residents in this City in Nature.

References

• National Library Board, Singapore. (2011). Garden city vision is introduced. Infopedia. https://www.nlb.gov.sg/main/article-detail?cmsuuid=a7fac49f-9c96-4030-8709-ce160c58d15c
• National Parks Board. (2021). City in Nature: Key strategies. Government of Singapore. https://www.nparks.gov.sg/who-we-are/city-in-nature-key-strategies
• National Parks Board. (2023). Our history and heritage. Government of Singapore. https://www.nparks.gov.sg/who-we-are/our-history-and-heritage
• Our Wild Neighbours. (2022). About the Our Wild Neighbours (OWN) initiative. Urban Wildlife Working Group. https://www.ourwildneighbours.sg/about-own
• The Straits Times. (2022). Wildlife management framework enhanced to curb risk of human-wildlife conflicts. The Straits Times. https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/environment/wildlife-management-framework-enhanced-to-curb-risk-of-human-wildlife-conflicts