The population of smooth-coated otters in Singapore has more than doubled since 2019. They sleep under bridges, raid private fish ponds, and attack people in public parks.
Mr. N Sivasothi, a senior lecturer in biological sciences at the National University of Singapore, stated: “They are not afraid of humans. There are bolder otter families that walk right past us. There is nowhere in Singapore where you can completely avoid otters.”
According to the Guardian, the National Parks Board (NParks) is working to relocate 170 otters from residential areas.
Otters at Gardens by the Bay (Singapore) – (Photo: REUTERS).
In 2020, NParks received 208 citizen reports about otter sightings, followed by 305 in 2021 and over 300 by August 2022.
Mr. Sivasothi and the otter working group (which includes NParks, wildlife experts, and “otter hunters”) have been relocating them to a site in Seletar.
The first mission lasted nearly a week, during which the team lured six otters from a dreadful hole they had dug under a pedestrian walkway. They were moved to an undisclosed location with a natural food source.
In recent months, the otters have broken into several villas to catch fish from ponds. At one point, they attacked 10 houses in a single night, Mr. Sivasothi reported.
Mr. Tan Kiat How, the Senior Minister for National Development and Communications and Information in Singapore, wrote on Facebook: “The otter collection operation is going smoothly.” He urged the public to avoid approaching or feeding them.
“Our country lives alongside nature, which means we coexist with wildlife like otters and observe them. However, we also understand the concerns of residents regarding otters encroaching on their properties,” Mr. Tan said.
The otter population has rebounded since the 1980s when Singapore began cleaning its waterways.
Their numbers are increasing, partly because otters do not face significant threats from predators and only encounter crocodiles in the mangroves in the northwest of the city.
Currently, otters are becoming increasingly common on the urban streets of Singapore as they claim more territory for themselves.
In 2021, a British man living in Singapore reported that he “thought he was going to die” when a pack of otters chased him in the Botanic Gardens, pinning him to the ground and biting him 26 times in just a few seconds. Months earlier, a 77-year-old man was bitten on the leg while exercising in the morning near the Kallang River.
An apartment tower in the River Valley area was also “invaded” by otters, which caught koi fish and frolicked in the swimming pool. Meanwhile, a church reported that nearly 100 koi fish in its pond had been eaten by otters…
Mr. Sivasothi remarked: “We are facing unprecedented otters. Initially, it was just urban otters taking advantage of the space in Singapore. As their population grew and competition increased, they had to adapt to the urban matrix, and now we must adapt.”
