Yangon Residents Demand Action Against Car-Dwelling Snatchers as Health Concerns Mount

Locals are calling for action against those who drive around catching pigeons in Yangon, while health-related disputes also persist

September 11

Residents in Yangon Region's Latha Township and Lanmadaw Township are calling for the arrest and prosecution of those who drive around catching pigeons.

In the incident, at around 2 p.m. on September 6, two people in a Probox car pretended to feed the pigeons before catching them and loading them onto the vehicle, it is reported.

"They've been doing this for a long time. It was only that day that I noticed. In Latha Township and Lanmadaw Township, they drive around catching them almost every day. Since they use a car, I think they catch them in other places too. What I saw was them catching them in Lanmadaw Township. People in Latha Township also say that they come by car to catch pigeons. I've heard from people in the neighborhood that they catch more than 50 birds a day. I don't know what they do with the pigeons after catching them. I want them to be dealt with quickly and effectively," a local man residing in Lanmadaw Township told MyoTaw.

On the streets of Yangon's Latha Township and Lanmadaw Township, and at pigeon feeding spots along Strand Road, two men in a white Toyota Probox with license plate YGN-10, 7D-1960 have been catching pigeons daily, it is reported.

Because pigeons can carry avian influenza as well as other diseases, disputes have also arisen between those who do not want pigeons in crowded public areas in the city center and animal lovers.

Back in September 2019, it is reported that the Yangon City Development Committee put up public awareness banners in public areas urging people not to feed pigeons, in order to eliminate the sale of pigeon feed and pigeon feeding in the city center and in every township of Yangon.

"During the previous government, there were awareness campaigns and mobilization efforts urging people not to feed pigeons or sell feed, on the grounds that the presence of pigeons in densely populated areas of central Yangon could affect people's health," a person close to the Yangon City Development Committee told MyoTaw.

It is reported that under the 1922 Yangon City Municipal Act, anyone feeding animals, including stray dogs, in public areas of Yangon may be fined from 50,000 to 100,000 kyats, imprisoned for up to 3 months, or both.

MyoTaw News Channel