Punggol heron found covered in mysterious red substance
On Nov 18, while heading to Punggol Park, Mr Anderson Ng spotted a heron that appeared to have bright red legs.
Thinking he'd seen something rare, he snapped a photo.
Zooming in, however, revealed the bird's feet were coated in a red substance.
He checked the heron's surroundings and found an unknown red substance in a nearby canal. He posted about the encounter on Facebook, including photos of the heron and the canal.
In a Nov 19 update, Mr Ng reported the incident to the National Environment Agency (NEA) and the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (ACRES).
In response to Mothership's inquiries, ACRES co-CEO Mr Kalai Vanan Balakrishnan confirmed awareness of the red substance in the canal. He stated the heron is being monitored and expressed hope the substance had been completely removed from the bird's legs.
PUB was alerted to the red substance on the night of Nov 18 and dispatched officers to investigate.
Unfortunately, due to heavy rain, much of the substance had dissipated, and they couldn't trace the source.
The canal, according to PUB, is near Block 425 Hougang Avenue 10 and flows into Serangoon Reservoir.
The agency emphasised that downstream water quality and that of Serangoon Reservoir showed no abnormalities and that monitoring would continue for several days.
They also reminded the public that discharging substances into public drains is illegal and urged anyone suspecting water pollution to contact PUB.
On the night of Nov 19, Ng reported seeing the heron again. A significant portion of the red substance had been removed from its feet. However, red stains remained on its torso and wings. Despite this, the heron appeared healthy and able to fly normally.
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now