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18 THE OSTRICH, THE AH LONG, THE CON WOMAN, AND THE CREEPY GUY

sand”, is used to describe a person who refuses to think about unpleasant
facts, but hopes that ignoring them will cause problems to vanish.
In Singapore, the phrase “ostrich-fashion” is often used as shorthand for
complacency, used in speeches by political leaders to highlight emerging
threats.
Zoologists tell us, however, that the ostrich, which lives in the savanna
and open woodlands of central and southern Africa, but is extensively
farmed around the world, is a much-maligned animal. It does not in actual
fact bury its small head in the sand – how would it breathe? It does, however,
sometimes lay its head fl at on the ground to swallow sand and pebbles to
help grind up food in its gizzard. From a distance, it looks as if the ostrich is
indeed burying its head in the sand.
Myth notwithstanding, the ostrich is indeed a very apt crime prevention
icon. Ostriches have three main strategies for dealing with threats: they can
run away, they can kick, or they can hide.
Too heavy to fl y, the ostrich is built for speed, with long, muscular legs
that give it a top speed of 70 kilometres per hour, allowing it to outrun
most predators. The powerful legs end with a 10-cm talon on each foot; a
downward kick can kill a lion. If it is nursing eggs and cannot fl ee, an ostrich
may hide in plain sight by fl opping to the ground and laying still with its
head outstretched, the pinkish hue of the long neck and head blending with
the sand. From a distance, the body might look more like a grassy mound
than prey to would-be predators.
Ostriches also practise safety in numbers. They usually live in fl ocks
of about ten, nursing their eggs in communal nests on the ground, with
male and female ostriches taking turns to incubate the eggs, which at 15 cm
long and weighing 1.5 kg each, make a tasty snack for hyenas, jackals, and
Egyptian vultures.
The communal lifestyle helps with defence. As the San Diego Zoo notes
of the ostriches it has studied for decades: “With their long necks and keen
vision, they can see for great distances, so in a group at least one of them is
likely to notice danger approaching.” 2
Community defence and safety. This is what the NCPC is also about.

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NCPC35-5 July2017.indd 18
NCPC35-5 July2017.indd 18 12/7/17 9:57 am