Mynah spotted feasting on pizza at bakery in Waterway Point allegedly a frequent 'customer'

It appears that the local wildlife has gotten more brazen as of late. Hot on the heels of a bread-nabbing monkey and a banana-munching bat is a pizza-loving mynah.

The feathery freeloader was spotted perching on a pizza board placed behind an open pizza display at a Proofer Bakery's outlet in Waterway Point on Oct 31.

In a video clip uploaded by Facebook user Shang Wei Chong, the bird can be seen pecking at crumbs on the board, never mind the fact it was in broad daylight. It hopped away just as a staff member approached the pizza display, but the video panned away before it was clear if the thief had made its getaway.

What was more surprising than the bird's audacity, however, was the staff's response to the incident, Shang wrote.

When he approached the bakery's staff informing them of the bird sighting, he was allegedly told: "This issue happen many times and also was feedback [sic]. But no action taken [sic]."

Shang added: "Just imagine - some of us may be sharing food with the bird."

He has since reported the matter to Proofer Bakery and the Singapore Food Agency (SFA).

AsiaOne has reached out to Proofer and the SFA for comment.

Pigeon spotted at BreadTalk

Perhaps birds have developed a preference for air-conditioned dining spots, much like humans.

Just earlier today (Nov 4), a Redditor shared a video of a chunky looking pigeon parading around a bread display case within Eastpoint Mall's BreadTalk.

While the display has a plastic cover protecting the food, a netizen raised concerns about food safety, saying that it was "a bad idea to eat anything that is in the vicinity of the bird flapping their wings". 

And customers in the store at the time might have thought the same — one walked past the camera with pre-packaged bread instead of one from the display case. 

According to the Redditor, the staff removed a tray of bread after they were informed of the avian infiltrator's actions.

Infected pigeons can spread diseases to humans through their droppings, which may affect those with lower immunity, according to the Animal and Veterinary Service.  

In response to AsiaOne's queries, BreadTalk said they have already stepped up their food safety and hygiene standards.

The staff on duty during the incident immediately discarded the trays of bread within the vicinity. The area was then sanitised before a new batch of bakes were placed there. BreadTalk also told their staff to be more vigilant. 

The company added: "We have also highlighted this to the mall’s management and will work closely with them to prevent such incidents from recurring." 

rainercheung@asiaone.com