Goodbye, Ubin-fowl

With the culling of all of Ubin's poultry and the resettling of farmers on the mainland, one can't help but feel that a rustic corner of our cultural heritage - whatever of it is left in Singapore - has been lost. For the few families on Ubin, it has been their way of life for decades, and it was one of those things which makes Ubin so unique in the hearts of many Singaporeans. I know that the authorities have their reasons for doing this, in light of potential bird flu attacks, and (perhaps?) rightly so. For some or most of the farmers, the amount offered as compensation would be considered welcomingly handsome by their standards, and maybe for them this could be counted as a blessing. Like they admitted, life by the poultry trade was becoming increasingly difficult to come by. The inability of practices from an older era to sustain its people... I suppose it was only in due time when the pressure would break through and people would be forced to urbanise, only that now, the call came sooner.

Now I regret not having taken pictures of the chickens near their kampongs on Ubin. I was, guiltily, like many countless others who took their mangy presence for granted.

More about the Ubin poultry ban on the Pulau Ubin stories blog here and here.

posted by Husky @ 6/18/2005 10:11:00 PM  |