GEORGE TOWN: The Penang Civil Defence Department rescued an otter trapped in a drain in front of a shopping complex in Tanjung Tokong here.
Rescue workers were deployed to the scene after a guard at the shopping complex spotted the fish-eater stuck in a drain at about 1.40am yesterday.
The security guard alerted the authorities after he noticed the mammal making a lot of noise.
The department’s northeast district chief Lieutenant Zunaidin Abdullah said five civil defence officers took 30 minutes to free the otter, which weighed about 30kg.
He said the otter had become entangled with some wire in the drain.
It has been handed to the state Perhilitan.
Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) marine biologist Dr Aileen Tan said it was unusual to find an otter on land, especially near a residential area unless its natural habitat has been disturbed.
She said the mammal’s food source could have been affected.
Dr Tan expressed concern over the excessive development and reclamation in the city.
She, however, added that otters could be easily spotted on the coast.
State Perhilitan director Jamalun Nasir Ibrahim said the otter was in a weak condition.
“We will send it to the Malacca Zoo once it recovers,” he said.
Traffic-stopper out of harm's way
New Straits Times 19 Nov 10;
GEORGE TOWN: A 1.5m-long otter was spotted prowling on a busy road here yesterday morning.
Its unexpected appearance caused a chaotic scene in front of the Island Plaza shopping complex in Jalan Tanjong Tokong.
Many surprised motorists were forced to stop their vehicles to avoid hitting the mammal.
The otter managed to evade the cars and motorcycles before leaping into a monsoon drain nearby.
Five members of a Civil Defence rescue team arrived about 2am to capture the animal.
Civil Defence member K. Vanu Gopal, 43, said the otter reacted aggressively while being captured.
"It bit the arm of one member repeatedly while struggling to wriggle free. Fortunately, my colleague wore ample protective gear to shield himself from injury," Vanu said at the department's headquarters in Lebuhraya Peel yesterday.
The male otter is estimated to weigh 30kg. It was handed over to the state Wildlife and National Parks Department.
Most otters live near water, entering it mainly to look for food.
Fish is their diet and is supplemented by frogs, crayfish and crabs. They range from 0.7m to 1.8m in length and 5kg to 45kg in weight.