Otters spotted in Bukit Timah; group fled from Singapore River home due to Bishan otters

Goh Yan Han Straits Times 30 May 19;

SINGAPORE - A group of otters were spotted at a Bukit Timah bus stop on Thursday morning (May 30).

The group of six was also seen near Stevens MRT station on the same day, as well as near Adam Road Food Centre the evening before, according to posts by netizens to the OtterWatch Facebook page.

A Straits Times reader noticed the otters along Bukit Timah Road at around 7am when she was taking her children to school.

"They were chilling at the roadside at first, then they were trying to cross the road," said the 37-year-old, who wanted to be known only as Ms Lim.

"It was a bit scary. They tried a few times before managing to cross safely."

She added that it was an unexpected and unusual sight in the morning, and that the otters were "very cute".

Otter enthusiast Bernard Seah, 50, identified the group as the Zouk otters, which were so named when they were spotted near the former Zouk site in Jiak Kim Street in the second half of 2018.

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Singapore otters a hit overseas

Fans across the globe ask interest groups where they can see the creatures when they visit Singapore
Nur Syahindah Ishak The New Paper 14 Jan 19;

National Geographic photographer Stefano Unterthiner, 48, from Italy has been to more than 30 countries and photographed exotic wildlife such as the Komodo dragon, European bison and brown bear.

When he learnt about Singapore's Bishan otters, he flew here in January last year for over three weeks.

He is not the only foreigner to be intrigued by our otters.

Otter groups here told The New Paper that they get messages from fans across the globe asking where to find the animals if they were to visit Singapore.

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Otter alert at Gardens by the Bay during Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon

Goh Yan Han Straits Times 10 Dec 18;

SINGAPORE - As Sunday's (Dec 9) Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon was underway, several unusual guests joined in - a group of 16 otters.

Ten adult otters and six babies were seen around 7.25am at a section of the marathon route that went through Gardens by the Bay.

According to otter enthusiasts, the animals had slept at Gardens by the Bay overnight. The adults woke up around 6am and headed for breakfast, before returning at 7.25am to collect the babies to forage for food together.

Close to an hour later, the otters moved to another part of Gardens by the Bay and were spotted rolling around on the ground to dry themselves, to the delight of event participants who whipped out their phones to snap photos of the animals.

Mr Bernard Seah, 49, a wildlife photographer and volunteer with the Otter Working Group, was at Gardens by the Bay with four others to help facilitate the movement of the otters across the busy race route.

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Otters spotted swimming in Singapore's Central Business District

Elizabeth Khor Channel NewsAsia 29 Oct 18;

SINGAPORE: Three otters were spotted in the heart of Singapore's Central Business District on Sunday (Oct 28), swimming in a water feature outside office building One George Street in the Raffles Place area.

There have been more sightings of otters in recent years, as the animals venture beyond parks and canals.

According to Facebook user Nel Jason Sanson, who shared a video of the CBD otters, two of the animals were seen in a water feature at about 6pm before another jumped in from the bushes.

They appeared to tussle in the water before one jumped out, ran onto the streets and rejoined the pair shortly after. The three otters were later seen running into the bushes to hide from a crowd which had gathered.

Otter enthusiast and admin of interest group Ottercity, Marjorie Chong, said that the three otters live along a nearby stretch of the Singapore River. They have been spotted in different locations such as Robertson Quay.

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Bishan otters defeat Marina rivals again in Kallang Basin clash

Toh Ting Wei Straits Times 24 Oct 18;

SINGAPORE - The two most well-known otter families here have clashed again, more than a year after a fight that resulted in the death of at least one otter pup.

The Marina otter family clashed with its Bishan rival at the Kallang Basin on Wednesday (Oct 24), in an hour-long confrontation documented by otter watchers.

In a video uploaded on the Ottercity Facebook page, the two groups of otters are seen charging towards each other, baring their teeth and squeaking loudly.

But just as the two sides seemed set for a physical fight, the Marina otters retreated at the last minute. The Marina family was eventually split up and pursued by the Bishan family.

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Otters spotted taking a dip in Sentosa Cove condominium swimming pool

Tee Zhuo Straits Times 2 Oct 16;

SINGAPORE - The pair were captured on video taking a brief dip in the swimming pool of a condominium in Sentosa Cove.

But the duo were not your typical denizens or tourists of the resort island.

In a video taken by a resident at The Berth by the Cove, two otters were spotted swimming a lap in the condominium's pool on Monday morning (Oct 1).

The duo are then seen climbing out of the pool, before making their way to and frolicking in a pond feature nearby.

Resident Shona Trench, who took the video, told The Straits Times that she had been in the pool with a friend when they spotted the aquatic mammals hopping into the pool.

"I jumped out immediately and grabbed my phone to film them... They eventually clambered out and exited along the path to the front of the condominium. Most people I think are happy to spot them," said the 57-year-old housewife.

The British citizen, who has lived in Singapore for eight years, added that this is the first time she has seen otters at her residence although she has spotted them at places like the Kallang River and Changi before.

Mr Brian Ladrillo, a concierge officer at the condominium, said that this was not the first time otters had been spotted at the residence.

"The security guards and myself spot them quite frequently, often in the middle of the night at about 1am to 4am," he said.

Mr Kalai Vanan, deputy chief executive of the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society, said that the otters could be crossing the area and potentially looking for food in the water bodies.

A few years ago, the condominium had faced the problem of otters eating the koi fish in its water features, Mr Ladrillo noted. The condominium eventually decided to remove the koi.

ST reported in July 2015 that otters were suspected of having feasted on ornamental koi at a Sentosa resort and Sentosa Cove home in April that year.

The fish reportedly cost more than $80,000.

Some netizens commenting on Ms Trench's Tuesday video raised concerns about the chlorine content in the pool water and any possible implications for the health of the otters.

Veteran otter watcher Jeffery Teo said that while he was not an expert on the possible health impact, otters are "pretty hardy".

"While otters are coastal creatures, they still have to move inland to consume fresh water, which may explain why we are seeing more otters here. They were probably curious about the water body," he said.

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Scuffle between crocodile and otters captured on video in Sungei Buloh not a rare sight: Nature observers

Toh Ting Wei Straits Times 11 Sep 18;

SINGAPORE - What happens when a well-known tailless crocodile gets into a fight with a group of six otters? The otters win, it seems. And such scuffles are not rare, said nature observers.

In a video uploaded on Facebook on Sunday (Sept 9), a group of six otters is seen fending off the crocodile in the waters of the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve.

The clips show the otters bobbing up and down in the water before approaching the crocodile, nicknamed Tailless by nature watchers because it has a stump where its tail should be.

The crocodile snaps unsuccessfully at the otters, as they circle around it.

The 1min 16sec clip was posted on the Ottercity Facebook page by veteran otter watcher Jeffery Teo, who said the face-off lasted about 10 minutes before the crocodile eventually swam away.

The video has since garnered at least 15,000 views and more than 200 shares online.

While many netizens were in awe of the fight, Mr Teo, who has been observing wildlife at Sungei Buloh for around 15 years, said he has seen such scuffles occur around five times in the past few years.

Mr Teo, 47, who works in the financial services industry, said: "While crocodiles can be hard to spot sometimes, you can (detect) their presence by the reactions of otters and monitor lizards. They will be on alert when they sense a crocodile."

National University of Singapore (NUS) biology lecturer N. Sivasothi, who heads the OtterWatch group, said the action of the otters bobbing up and down in the water is called periscoping. They do this to monitor their surroundings above the water, such as the threat of a crocodile in this case.

Mr Sivasothi, who is known as the Otterman, said he is also aware of similar encounters between crocodiles and otters that have happened here.

He added: "Otters and crocodiles, both fish eaters, are unable to drive each other out of an area so they have to co-exist.

"From time to time, they will encounter each other. Otters, being the more agile and busy species, are the ones which will initiate contact with a crocodile."

Mr Teo estimates that there are two otter families in Sungei Buloh, and said that these otters have previously been spotted challenging feral dogs and monitor lizards.

He added that Tailless has been in the reserve for at least 12 years, since it was a small crocodile.

While the otters have strength in numbers, Tailless and other crocodiles in Sungei Buloh have come out tops in some face-offs.

Mr Teo said: "There is not really a clear winner every time, it depends on which family of otters is involved and the strength of the otters."

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Otter pup reunited with family after 6 days in complex rescue operation

Toh Ting Wei Straits Times 8 Aug 18;

SINGAPORE - An otter pup, nicknamed Helios, was reunited with his family on Monday afternoon (Aug 6), after a complex five-day operation including more than 30 people and multiple agencies.

In a Facebook post on Monday evening, otter interest group Ottercity announced that the operation, termed Operation Helios, ended in a success, with the reunion taking place at a pond beside Khoo Teck Puat Hospital.

The pond was 14km away from where the pup was originally found, near Punggol Serangoon Reservoir, said Ottercity.

It was unknown which family the pup belonged to, resulting in otter watchers scrambling to narrow down the possibilities from four possible families that it could have been stranded from.

The Ottercity group, which is run by more than 10 veteran otter watchers, said: "Undisputedly, Operation Helios is by far the most complex otter reunion operation we have ever experienced in Singapore.

"Any wrong judgment to release Helios to the wrong family, would likely cause his immediate kill in front of our eyes."

The mission was led by the Otter Working Group (OWG), OtterWatch, Ottercity and volunteers, and involved agencies such as the Public Utilities Board.

The injured pup was recovered by the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres) group last Tuesday, before it was sent to the veterinary team at Wildlife Reserves Singapore. It was found to have sustained multiple bite injuries that were likely caused by other otters.

Long-time otter watcher Jeffery Teo, who is a member of the OWG, told The Straits Times that Helios was estimated to be five to six months old, and could have been injured by a lone otter after it got stranded from its family.

He said: "In the past, we never had a problem of identification, it was never in the consideration of who to release to. It was all about the techniques of releasing, the method of releasing and the timing of releasing.

"But in this case, (with) who to release to and where to release to, it was a big risk for us."

Based on the otter watchers' calculations, Helios could have belonged to at least four families living around an area spanning three reservoirs with multiple river streams, canals and pools.

The groups working to find the otter's family had to first narrow down the family that the otter belonged to, and this resulted a tedious daily search to find the various families to work out it the pup belonged to them.

"We are talking about tens of kilometres, it's like searching for a needle in the sea," said Mr Teo.

With the help of the PUB, which took some watchers out on a boat to survey inaccessible areas, and field reports from various watchers, the groups managed to spot the various families, before systematically narrowing it down to a family of six adult otters and a pup.

The actual operation to reunite the pup with the family then kicked off on Monday afternoon, after otter watchers spotted the family at the pond near Khoo Teck Puat Hospital.

Handlers from the Wildlife Reserves Singapore took the pup out in a cage, with the family responding to the pup's calls soon after.

"All of us (experts from OWG, Acres and WRS)... we made a judgment call that this seems okay, this feels good, let's open the cage," said Mr Teo.

"We opened the cage and we were praying, and the pup got accepted immediately."

He added: "This exercise is indeed very complicated, because if nobody put up the legwork, we would never have found these four families."

The smooth-coated otter, formerly thought to be extinct in Singapore, returned in 1998 as the island's waterways became cleaner.

There are currently around 70 in Singapore. They are distinct from the Oriental small-clawed otters, which can be found in Pulau Ubin.

This is not the first time that volunteers from the otter watching community have come to the rescue of otter pups. Three such cases were reported in the last year.

In December, two lost otter pups from the famous Bishan family were reunited with their family after about 30 hours.

In November, a pup from the Pasir Ris family, aged about eight to nine months, with a wound from a ring around its body, was successfully rounded up and treated.

In January last year, a lost pup aged around two months old from the Bishan family was also rescued.

Read more!

Father in famous Bishan otter family dies

Channel NewsAsia 5 May 18;

SINGAPORE: The father of the famous Bishan otter family died on Saturday (May 5) afternoon in Boon Keng, veteran otter enthusiast Jeffrey Teo told Channel NewsAsia.


The member of the group OtterWatch said the creature died at around 2.30pm surrounded by "otterers", who sat a "comfortable distance" away.

"Two attempts were made to trap and treat him by ACRES (Animal Concerns Research and Education Society) and WRS (Wildlife Reserves Singapore) this morning, but he managed to slip away," said Mr Teo. "We made the decision to call off the trapping at about 10am so that he could rest in peace.

"Could sense his life was fading away so we decided to accompany him at his side instead."

The animal's carcass was taken to Wildlife Reserves Singapore, Mr Teo said.

An account of the otter's last moments was posted on the OtterWatch Facebook page. He was estimated to be more than seven years old.


"At about 2.30pm, Bishan Dad came out from the holt, found a comfortable spot and lay down. It was a peaceful afternoon, with occasional water splashing sound caused by boats passing by ... His life faded away at 2.40pm. R.I.P," the post read.

The Bishan otter family was first spotted at Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park in 2014. The initial family of five gained national attention in 2015, when the National Parks Board posted photos and videos of them on their Facebook page.

The family had grown to 16 strong by 2017.

Mr Teo added: "He brought so much learning on smooth-coated otter behaviour which we applied other otter families in Singapore, and shared with rest of the world."

Dad of Bishan otter family dies, otter watchers mourn his loss
Lydia Lam Straits Times 5 May 18;

SINGAPORE - An otter believed to be the father of the friendly Bishan otter family died on Saturday (May 5), surrounded by otter watchers, Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres) officers and those who have followed his journey since 2014.

Veteran otter watcher and member of the Otter Working Group Jeffery Teo told The Straits Times that the smooth-coated otter had been observed to be sickly for about a week. His energy levels were low and blood was spotted in his stool.

The Otter Working Group is a volunteer group set up with several government agencies including the National Parks Board, the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority and PUB in 2016.

On Saturday, more than 10 otter watchers gathered from 6am to track the otter.

They had been unsure that it was the Bishan dad, as they affectionately term the creature, but confirmed on Friday that it was him.

They did so by noting his unique markings, the relative position of the individual in the group, his size and behaviour, National University of Singapore (NUS) biology lecturer N. Sivasothi, who heads OtterWatch, told ST.

After being left behind by his family, the otter trailed sluggishly behind them before stopping under a wooden bridge along the Kallang River.

Although the Otter Working Group had planned to trap and treat the otter, they decided against it as they could see that his health was failing.

"We could see that his life was fading," said Mr Teo. "We stayed behind so that at least he's being accompanied in his last journey, and also to make sure his carcass wasn't eaten by other animals."

At around 2.40pm, the otter breathed his last. He had been around seven to eight years old, Mr Teo said.

"A lot of people cried," he said. Wildlife Reserves Singapore received the carcass and will perform a post-mortem on it. After that, the carcass may be preserved as a wet museum specimen at the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum.

Bishan dad with his two youngest children in February 2018. PHOTO: FACEBOOK/OTTERWATCH
Mr Sivasothi, who has studied the mammals since 1994, said otters in the wild can live for about eight years, while those in captivity can survive for up to 14 years.

He said the otter watching community was saddened by the death.

"He's been followed since 2014," said Mr Sivasothi. "This otter is quite unusual. He's very successful in how he led the family and that's why they managed to stay intact in such a large group. We know this from zoos - not every parent is good. An adult which is a very good parent is prized in a captive collection."

This brings the number of otters in the Bishan family to 14. The future of the family is uncertain, and both Mr Teo and Mr Sivasothi were unsure on whether the mother would take a new mate.

"It will be the first time we will be able to clearly observe how this turns out," said Mr Sivasothi.

He said the Bishan dad was "quite indifferent to otter watchers" and not shy, allowing them to view many aspects of his behaviour up close.

"I think this is the most intimate interaction between an otter brood and a whole community of otter watchers in the world," he said. "I think that's why they all feel the loss so strongly. But they understand - these are things that happen in a natural life cycle."

Acres deputy chief executive officer Kalai Vanan told ST that three Acres officers were present.

"It's very unfortunate and sad indeed that he died," he said. "For now, we would need to find out the probable cause of death so that we can be better prepared if there is a similar scenario in the future."

Read more!

Two otters found dead on Changi Beach

AMANDA LEE Today Online 26 Apr 18;


Two otters were found dead at Changi Beach. One of the otters was found along the beach (left), while the other was found in a metal trap used to catch crabs and fish near the Changi Sailing Club.

SINGAPORE ― Two otters were found dead at Changi Beach on Wednesday (April 25).

One of the otters was found in a metal trap used to catch crabs and fish near the Changi Sailing Club, while the other was found along the beach.

Otter community group Otterwatch posted photos of the dead animals on Facebook on Thursday morning, and the news spread quickly on social media.

There are at least 60 otters in Singapore, and they can be found in places such as Pasir Ris, Sungei Buloh, Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park, Pulau Ubin, and the Gardens By The Bay. Popular with Singaporeans, the smooth-coated otters have often been spotted frolicking in the water and on land.

OtterWatch said in a post that the two otters were “likely” to be members of the Pasir Ris family, and that they were discovered by members of the public.

A spokesman from OtterWatch told TODAY that the otter in the trap had half of its head “chewed off by (a) monitor lizard”.

This is not the first time that such an incident has occurred. In June last year, a dead otter was found in a cage along the Marina Promenade, and a man was subsequently caught setting traps in the area.

“Many traps were recovered and removed by agencies and volunteers… When will there be an end to this irresponsible trapping?” said the Otterwatch spokesman.

“One man’s leisure and pleasure is causing so much harm to marine creatures. It should be banned.”

Changi Sailing Club general manager Edwin Low told TODAY that this was the first time he had heard of an otter being killed by a trap. He added: “Maybe the authorities could issue advisories to these fishing enthusiasts, and even ban the use of these traps.

“I would like to see a ‘no fishing zone’ where we are located.”

Responding to queries, Mr Kalai Vanan, deputy chief executive of the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society, said it is aware of the incident and is “very sad that (the) two otters have been found dead”.

Abandoned fish and crab traps, as well as fishing lines with hooks and nets can be found in many of Singapore’s waterways and coastal areas, added Mr Kalai. Apart from otters, turtles and monitor lizards caught on fish hooks often suffer slow and painful deaths.

He also called on the public to be vigilant when walking along the waterways and coastal areas “to look out for abandoned fish traps/lines and report them to the authorities”.

“We hope the agencies will investigate this matter to find out more and look into better enforcement measures to deter such incidents,” added Mr Kalai.




Dead otters Pasir Ris
Nicole Chang Channel NewsAsia 26 Apr 18;

SINGAPORE: Two otters, one of which was in a fishing trap, were found dead on Wednesday (Apr 25) at the boardwalk near the Changi Sailing Club.

The owner of a sailing boat company, Mr Scott McCook, told Channel NewsAsia that he was at the sailing club in the afternoon when a club employee told him that a dead otter had been found.

“By the time we found the cage it was 4pm or 5pm,” he said. He saw the dead otter inside a fishing trap, while another dead otter was “on the beach” in the water.

He said he did not know who to contact about the carcasses, but took some photographs.

By the next morning, one of the carcasses had “drifted off”, said Mr McCook, but the 56-year-old came across members of the OtterWatch community group along Changi Beach and showed them the photos he had.

OtterWatch member Alvin Tan told Channel NewsAsia that the group was taking photos of some otters at Changi Beach on Thursday morning when Mr McCook told them about the dead otters.

“We asked him to bring us over immediately,” said Mr Tan.

Mr McCook took them to the fishing trap, where they saw the dead otter, its head “badly rotten”.

“We saw a lot of maggots on the head of the otter,” he said. “In fact there (was) a big monitor lizard biting at this dead otter.

“We managed to chase the monitor lizard away. The head of the otter was almost gone, the body and legs were all swollen.”

He added that OtterWatch was working with authorities over the incident.

Mr Jeffery Teo, another member of OtterWatch, told Channel NewsAsia that these metal traps can be found along coastal areas. Some were new traps and some had been abandoned, he said.

"How many marine animals must be killed before law and enforcement keep up with these irresponsible actions using large-size metal cages?" Mr Teo said.

Singapore's Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (ACRES) also called on the relevant agencies to investigate and look into better enforcement measures to deter such incidences.

"Abandoned fish or crab traps, fishing lines with hooks and nets can be found in many of our waterways and coastal areas," said the animal welfare group in response to Channel NewsAsia's queries.

"Besides otters, so many other animals suffer as well. Turtles and monitor lizards get caught on fish hooks as well, often suffering a slow painful death."

ACRES said it is "very sad" that two otters have been found dead. It urged members of the public "be vigilant" when walking along waterways and coastal regions, and report cases of abandoned fish traps or lines to the authorities.

In response to Channel NewsAsia's queries, the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) said it is investigating the incident. "One otter carcass was retrieved and WRS (Wildlife Reserves Singapore) is carrying out a necropsy on it," AVA added.

Source: CNA/nc(cy)


2 otters found dead near Changi Sailing Club, including 1 trapped in illegal fishing cage
Ng Huiwen Straits Times 26 Apr 18;

SINGAPORE - Two otters believed to be from the Pasir Ris family were found dead near the Changi Sailing Club.

While one was found trapped in an illegal fishing cage, the other was seen on the beach near the cage.

A member of the public who found the otters on Wednesday alerted Facebook page OtterWatch on Thursday (April 26) morning.

Photos shared by OtterWatch show one of the otters covered in mud in a large metal cage under a boardwalk, while the other had been washed up on the beach.

Avid otter watcher Jeffrey Teo, who is part of OtterWatch, told The Straits Times that the otter found in the cage was "in a bad shape".

It had metal cuts on its face and a monitor lizard was seen chewing on its body, he said, adding that the carcass will be handed over to the Wildlife Reserves Singapore for a post-mortem.

However, the carcass of the other otter which was found on the beach near the cage, was no longer there by the time volunteers went down.

National University of Singapore biology lecturer N. Sivasothi, who heads the Otter Working Group, told ST that the otters were likely from the Pasir Ris family, comprising 10 adults and four pups.

The family usually roam the waters in Pasir Ris and Changi, and in November last year, made a surprising appearance on the tarmac of Changi Airport.

Mr Sivasothi said that the otters, just like other wild animals, could have been in search of food, when they became trapped.

"Any wild animal will explore their surroundings in great detail in pursuit of food," he said.

"While otters are usually suspicious of new structures and are careful around them, there could be a possibility that the cage has been there for quite a while, and they have become familiar enough with it to explore it."

He added that if fish was used as bait in the cage, then this may have driven the otters to enter it and get caught, before drowning.

With Singapore's waterways now relatively clear of pollution, wildlife has started to make a return in recent years, he noted.

Hence, there is a greater urgency to eradicate illegal fishing practices that could have a significant detrimental effect on wild animals, he said.

Currently, the public is able to alert national water agency PUB on suspicious activities in Singapore's reservoirs.

But in other areas, it is often the public who remove illegal traps, cages or fishing lines on their own initiative.

In June last year, a dead otter from the Bishan family was found in a cage at Marina Promenade in the Kallang Basin. A man was caught setting up traps in the area later that day.

And in January, otters were spotted climbing an illegal fish-trapping cage in the Marina Reservoir. An otter watcher alerted PUB, which removed the cage with the help of otter community group OtterWatch.

It is illegal to use such trapping cages in any reservoirs or waterways, even in areas where fishing is allowed.

Additionally, those caught trapping any animal or doing any act which injures fauna in any reservoir may be fined up to $3,000.

Related link
Otterwatch facebook post on the incident.

Read more!

Angler filmed throwing stones at otters in Punggol Waterfront

Ng Huiwen Straits Times 25 Feb 18;

SINGAPORE - An angler was filmed throwing stones at a family of otters next to the Marina Country Club in Punggol Waterfront on Saturday evening (Feb 24).

A housewife, who wanted to be known only as Ms Chong, told The Straits Times on Sunday that she was in the area at about 6.30pm when she spotted the family of eight otters swimming away.

Ms Chong was filming the sight when she noticed that a man had started throwing stones at one of the pups.

"Obviously, I was shocked. He did it not once, but twice, at two of the pups," said Ms Chong, who declined to give her age.

A video of the incident was shared on the OtterWatch Facebook page on Saturday night.

Mr Jeffrey Teo, who is a member of the OtterWatch community, told The Straits Times that this particular family of otters have been spotted frequently in the Punggol stretch since about two months ago.

They comprise of parents, a sub-adult and five pups.

He said that a few otter watchers have since alerted the authorities to the incident.


Ms Chong, who was alone, said that there was a fence separating her and the man, who was part of a group of six male anglers.

While there were other groups of anglers in the area at the time, none of them did anything to stop the man, she added.

To ensure that the otters were unhurt, she stood at the location for a few minutes to monitor them.

"I was glad to see the pups were okay and that they were all accounted for," she said, adding that she hopes the video would help to raise the public's awareness of wild animals in Singapore.

"I hope that people will be more tolerant of wild animals and share some of their space with them. The otters were there for only about five minutes and they went away. There's no need to be cruel," she added.

A spokesman for the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) said it is investigating the incident. Members of the public who have information on the case or witnessed the incident can contact AVA at 1800-476-1600.

Read more!

Indranee Rajah shares 'Budget preview video' featuring Singapore otters

Lydia Lam Straits Times 14 Feb 18;

SINGAPORE - On Tuesday (Feb 13), Senior Minister of State for Finance and Law Indranee Rajah shared a "sneak preview" of the Budget statement on Facebook.

However, instead of hard numbers and dry facts, the 1min 47sec clip, titled An Otterly Singaporean Budget, is filled with photos and videos of otters.



"To prepare for the future, we must see what's ahead," read the subtitles in the video. "Three big things are coming our way. Economic action is shifting to Asia. Technology is changing everything. Our population is ageing. What do we do? We have a plan... starting with Budget 2018!"

The video goes on to talk about various steps to be taken, including embracing technology, keeping Singapore green, building strong families and keeping the country secure.

Ms Indranee, who is also MP for Tanjong Pagar GRC, told The Straits Times that she came up with the concept for the video after professional photographer Hilarion Goh shared with her some pictures and videos of otters that he had taken.

"I thought the pictures were great and the otters were so cute," she said. "However, I have obviously been immersed in the Budget process for too long because every time I looked at the images, these Budget themes kept popping into my head! This kept happening so much so that in the end I decided that I might as well make a video out of it."

Ms Indranee asked Mr Goh for permission to use his pictures and requested one of the PAP media team members to help edit the video.

An otterly Singaporean budget

The video editor declined an interview as he was "very shy", Ms Indranee said.

In her Facebook post, she clarified that it was not an official Budget video done by the Ministry of Finance, although MOF later shared it on its Facebook page.

Mr Goh, 60, told ST that he has been an adviser to the Tanjong Pagar Photography Club for 13 years.

He only recently took up photographing otters. His forte is in fashion photography.

"I know Ms Indranee is quite an animal lover," he said. "After I shot some otters I sent one to her and she fell in love."

Mr Goh is also a grassroots volunteer at Tanjong Pagar. He was not paid for his photos and videos.

Ms Indranee said she likes "pretty much all animals, and of course the otters are so cute, anyone would find it hard not to like them".

"Why otters? There wouldn't have been a video but for the fact that Hilarion sent me those pics and the Budget themes kept buzzing around in my head," she said.

"But I think it also has to do with the fact that the otters have such human expressions and their activities so easily correlate to the things we do. I think of the otter in the deterring threats picture as the Ministry of Defence otter!

"And course, they are very much part of the Singapore landscape. It helped a lot that they seem to really get around the island with lots of interesting backgrounds."

The video, which Ms Indranee wrote the text for, was produced in just over a week.

Asked for her thoughts on this year's Budget, which is set to be unveiled on Feb 19 by Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat, Ms Indranee said: "The thoughts on this year's Budget that I would like to share at this point in time are all in the video."

Read more!

NEA investigating report of curry being poured into Tampines River

Channel NewsAsia 5 Feb 18;

SINGAPORE: Authorities are investigating an alleged incident of curry being poured into Tampines River.

On Sunday (Feb 4), Facebook user Shirley Lc Tan posted a photo of a reddish-brown substance in the river, writing that it was a wedding caterer at the void deck of Block 408 Pasir Ris that had dumped curry gravy into the river.

The post was shared more than 2,400 times as of Monday, but it has since been taken down.

Replying to Channel NewsAsia's queries, the National Environment Agency (NEA) said on Monday that both NEA and national water agency PUB received reports on Sunday of "a substance resembling curry" being disposed into the river.

NEA and PUB officers went down to the site immediately, and NEA is investigating the alleged incident, it added.


NEA investigating incident of 'curry dumping' into Tampines river
Lydia Lam Straits Times 5 Feb 18;

SINGAPORE - The National Environment Agency (NEA) is investigating an alleged incident of curry being dumped into a river.

In response to queries from The Straits Times, NEA said in a statement that it had received reports, along with water agency PUB, on Sunday (Feb 4) about "a substance resembling curry being disposed into Sungei Tampines".

"NEA and PUB officers went down to the site immediately, and NEA is investigating the alleged incident," said the statement.

Facebook user Shirley Lc Tan had posted a photo of the orange substance seeping into the river at 9.35pm on Sunday.

She alleged that the caterer of a wedding held at the void deck of Block 408, Pasir Ris Drive 6, had dumped their curry gravy into the river next to it.

"The river where there are plenty of monitor lizards and our beloved Pasir Ris family of otters," she wrote.

The post drew more than 2,400 shares and hundreds of likes and comments. It was made unavailable on Monday night.

Sungei Tampines flows through parts of Tampines and Pasir Ris before draining into the sea.

An otter watcher told ST that he saw the otters in Sungei Tampines on Saturday morning. They left the river and headed for Sungei Api Api, a river in Pasir Ris, said Mr Tan Yong Lin, a 28-year-old professional photographer.

Mr Tan, who has followed otters for about two years, said the otters were out of the water by the time the curry incident happened.

However, he added that another otter watcher went to look for the animals earlier on Monday, but she did not see them at Sungei Tampines.

Read more!

Monkey business: Youths aim to share love of nature, wildlife with others

KELLY NG Today Online 20 Jan 18;

SINGAPORE — One of Mr Karl Png’s closest encounters with wildlife occurred in his teenage years: Macaques sneaked into his home and took a bite of his meal.

Initially taken aback, Mr Png, now a 21-year-old full-time national serviceman, later learnt the monkeys did not mean it as an “attack”.

“That funny incident taught me that the macaques (lived in the neighbourhood) first, but later the condominiums were built there… So in a way, we share the same space as the macaques,” said Mr Png, who used to live in Bukit Timah. “They saw our food as an opportunity for survival, so the way to prevent such incidents is to keep our food out of their sight and to ensure that windows are locked.”

The encounter did not deter him from engaging with wildlife - in fact, he regularly shares the anecdote with visitors to the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, where he has been serving as a guide for the last four years.

Mr Png is one of 50 youths who have signed up for a six-month programme called the Biodiversity Challenge, which aims to motivate, train and equip youths to engage their communities on issues surrounding human-wildlife interactions.

Launched last Saturday (Jan 13), participants will attend workshops and on-the-job training sessions with wildlife working groups and park managers before finally running their own projects.

The Challenge focuses on otters, macaques, wild boars, turtles and civets — animals which have a higher chance of encountering humans, said Mr Lim Liang Jim, group director of the National Parks Board’s (NParks) National Biodiversity Centre.

Mooted by a roundtable of more than 20 non-governmental organisations involved in biodiversity issues, the Challenge is supported by NParks, which will help to facilitate some workshops and field guiding sessions.

“Through this community-led effort, we hope to nurture a young cohort of nature advocates who can identify the challenges that this sector will face in the future,” said Mr Lim.

Mr Png hopes the Challenge can equip him with practical skills to share his love for nature with fellow Singaporeans, as well as to debunk misconceptions, such as how wildlife may be “dangerous” or “dirty”.

Unlike Mr Png, fellow participant Zhang Han Xiang is a relative greenhorn. But this was precisely what prompted the 20-year-old Singapore Polytechnic student to sign up for the Challenge.

“I hope to foster a closer relationship and enhance my own encounters with wildlife… I hope to pick up as much knowledge as possible on various types of species,” said the final-year civil engineering student, who does not know which animal he hopes to focus on yet.

“This will be a good opportunity to explore what Singapore’s biodiversity scene has to offer, and I hope to share this with the people around me,” he added.

Another participant, Ms Srishti Arora from the National University of Singapore, was spurred on by a growing number of “conflicts” reported here between humans and wildlife such as wild boars.

“I want to learn how conflicts can be shaped into positive interactions,” said the 21-year-old undergraduate, who majors in environmental biology.

She hopes to come up with a guidebook on the “do’s and don’ts” when approaching wildlife.

Social media is another platform Ms Arora plans to tap to raise awareness of biodiversity among the masses.

Another group of youths hoping to promote Singapore’s natural heritage among their peers is from Nanyang Technological University.

The final-year project of four Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information students consists of a campaign that kicked off with a seminar on Friday (Jan 19).

They invited NParks’ Mr Lim, Strix Wildlife Consultancy director Subaraj Rajathurai and primate researcher Sabrina Jabbar from the Jane Goodall Institute (Singapore) to share insights with about 70 members of the public who signed up.

Minister for Social and Family Development and Second Minister for National Development Desmond Lee was also at the seminar.

The team also surveyed 400 university and polytechnic students and found 85 per cent of them had low awareness of nature reserves in Singapore — for instance, they did not know that these sites are gazetted and protected from development.

Of the respondents, 78 per cent also felt they “did not have sufficient knowledge about (Singapore’s) natural heritage”, but three-quarters were interested in finding out more.

“Through this campaign, we hope to (convey) that like any monument or artefact, our natural heritage holds historical significance as something that was right here from the start and something worth preserving for the future generations,” said Miss Velyn Lee, one of team members. “Natural heritage is a key component of Singapore’s unique identity, and something we should all be proud of.”

Read more!

New six-month programme will promote co-existence between humans and wildlife

Audrey Tan Straits Times 11 Jan 18;

SINGAPORE - What do you do if you find turtle eggs on a beach? How do you go for a walk in a nature reserve without being disturbed by cheeky macaques? What should you do when you encounter a wild boar?

These are among the questions being asked after a spate of wildlife encounters in the city, the most recent being a young girl who was nipped by an otter at Gardens by the Bay on Dec 30.

To better educate people on how to deal with Singapore's native wildlife, the National Parks Board (NParks) announced on Thursday (Jan 11) that it will be conducting a novel six-month programme for people aged between 16 and 30.

NParks will be working with the youth wing of Biodiversity Roundtable – a group of scientists and naturalists who study Singapore’s native wildlife – on the initiative.

The Biodiversity Challenge aims to teach participants about the importance of co-existing harmoniously with wildlife, and how to do so. Around 80 people have signed up so far.

Workshops, seminars and training sessions will give participants the chance to shadow researchers and naturalists studying various animals, as well as park managers.

They will learn about the factors involved in managing human-wildlife interactions, such as how to communicate with the people involved, and start initiatives to promote nature conservation.

The five focus animals will be otters, macaques, wild boars, turtles, and civets - adaptable animals that Singaporeans are most likely to encounter as they thrive in urban areas.

In the past year, there have been many encounters with these animals - some positive, and others less so, with wild boars in particular being involved in incidents that caused injury to humans.

The Biodiversity Challenge will be launched by Minister for Social and Family Development and Second Minister for National Development Desmond Lee on Saturday during the first phase of the programme - a seminar about human-wildlife interactions in Singapore.

Mr N. Sivasothi, a senior lecturer at the Department of Biological Sciences at the National University of Singapore, said the challenge was an exciting programme that reaches out to those with no prior knowledge of native wildlife.

"The participant will gain a foothold into learning about the intersection of environment, people and wildlife and be provided with the opportunity to share what they have learnt with family, friends and the public."

Read more!

Surprising branch in Singapore's otter family tree

Jose Hong Straits Times 11 Jan 18;

The smooth-coated otters entrancing Singapore are most probably the descendants of two different species caught up in an unconventional romance.

Research indicates that the creatures frolicking in our waters could be the result of a fraught union.

Picky small-clawed otter females had initially rejected smooth-coated males, but their fruitless search for suitable mates of their own species eventually led them back to the smooth-coated males and an aquatic marriage of convenience.

Researchers do not know if this original union occurred in nature or captivity - that is the subject of further research - but it is quite the story behind the world's first known case of wild otter hybrids.

Research assistant Meryl Theng and her team made the discovery that was published last year, when her team studied smooth-coated otter samples from all over the world in order to understand their population movements and how to better conserve them.

They also examined the dung and skin of 18 samples from five locations around Singapore, with surprising results.

"We questioned what could have gone wrong. Was spraint (dung) from the wrong species collected? Was there contamination of small-clawed otter DNA?" said Ms Theng, 28. Only after they verified that they did not make any mistakes, and after another colleague got the same results, did they realise that they were on to something.

Singapore has two species of otters. Smooth-coated ones grow up to 1.2m long and 11kg in weight. They are the more familiar ones here and have been increasingly seen since the 1990s in places like Sungei Buloh, Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park and Gardens by the Bay.

Small-clawed otters weigh around half as much, at 5kg, and in recent decades have been seen only on offshore islands such as Pulau Tekong and Pulau Ubin.

Ms Theng said there are several reasons why the two species could have bred with each other, the top contender being the "picky female" theory.

Singapore's otters do not look like hybrids because their genes are not split equally between the smooth-coated and small-clawed otters.

Rather, the original offspring of the two species continued breeding with smooth-coated otters across several generations, meaning that the descendants did not look like small-clawed otters at all, though they kept some of their genes, said Ms Theng.

One implication of this is pure classification - Ms Theng said the two otter species are more genetically similar than previously thought and so should be recognised as such by taxonomists.

Biology lecturer N. Sivasothi, who heads community group OtterWatch, said that the research raises interesting questions.

"How extensive is this occurrence in southern Malaysia and in Singapore? Should a threatened species be protected if there is evidence of hybridisation? Should hybrids be allowed to persist if they fill an ecological role?" he asked.

"This will be discussed by the otter specialist group of the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Species Survival Commission at a proposed workshop for South-east Asian otter researchers."

AT LEAST 60 NOW IN SINGAPORE

Singapore's smooth-coated otters are perhaps one of the country's favourite wildlife mascots, remaining popular even after a provoked otter bit a five-year-old girl two weeks ago.

Yet, despite being native to the region, they had disappeared from the country's consciousness until relatively recently.

Habitat loss and reclamation works drove them from the nation's waters in the 1970s. But as Singapore worked to clean up pollution in its waterways and as the neighbouring shores of Johor became developed, the furry swimmers began moving back.

There are now at least 60 otters in Singapore, found in places such as Pasir Ris, Sungei Buloh, Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park, Pulau Ubin and Gardens by the Bay.

As their numbers grew, more people started photographing and recording their movements, including groups such as OtterWatch.

However, while the smooth-coated otters have seen their star rise, the small-clawed otters have waned in status.

These otters weigh about half as much as their more famous counterparts and have slowly disappeared from Singapore.

Now, they are suspected to be visitors rather than residents in Singapore's waterways and have been recorded only on offshore islands such as Pulau Tekong and Pulau Ubin.

Read more!

Cage trap found near otters' habitat in Marina Reservoir; PUB appeals for witnesses

Channel NewsAsia 3 Jan 18;

SINGAPORE: Several otters were spotted exploring a cage meant for trapping fish at Marina Reservoir on Tuesday (Jan 2) morning, prompting the Public Utilities Board (PUB) to appeal for witnesses to the offence.

The water agency worked together with OtterWatch, a local group of otter enthusiasts, to remove the cage.

"Fortunately no animals were trapped," said PUB in a Facebook post on Tuesday evening.

"It is an offence to trap any animal or do any act which causes injury to the fauna in any reservoir. Those caught doing so may be fined up to S$3,000," it added.

It also urged witnesses who see any suspicious activities along reservoirs to contact PUB with the date, time, location and pictures of the incident.

This is not the first incident of otters being put in harm's way. In October, an otter pup was found in a canal in Pasir Ris Park with a deep wound running across its back and sides. The wound was reportedly caused by an o-ring that got entangled around the otter's body.

Channel NewsAsia has reached out to the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (ACRES) for a comment.

Source: CNA/aa


Otters spotted exploring illegal fishing cage at Marina Reservoir; PUB appeals for witnesses
Lydia Lam Straits Times 3 Jan 18;

SINGAPORE - An illegal fish-trapping cage was found in the Marina Reservoir on Tuesday (Jan 2) by an otter watcher who spotted the animals exploring the device, prompting water agency PUB to step in and call for witnesses.

The otter watcher spotted the otters climbing on a structure near the Indoor Stadium, opposite Tanjong Rhu, and realised it was an animal-trapping cage.

She alerted the PUB, which removed the cage from the Marina Reservoir with the help of otter community group OtterWatch.

PUB said in a Facebook post on Tuesday that no animals were trapped.

It is illegal to use such trapping cages in any reservoirs or waterways, even in areas where fishing is allowed.

Additionally, those caught trapping any animal or doing any act which injures fauna in any reservoir may be fined up to $3,000.

Mr Adriane Lee, a volunteer zone captain with International Coastal Cleanup Singapore which cleans up Singapore's coastlines and waterways, told The Straits Times on Wednesday that the trap was a funnel trap used to trap fish.

"The idea is for fish to enter in one direction and they can't get out as they don't know how to find their way out," said the 43-year-old manager. "From my understanding, all forms of trapping such as this and nets are not allowed in nature reserves and waterways."

Mr Lee, who has been a zone captain for six years and oversees the north-west parts of Singapore, said trapped fish can attract larger predators such as otters and birds that can get trapped.

"For example, an otter can get its head stuck inside the hole," he said. "If the trap is lost or abandoned, for example if the owner forgot where he laid the trap or if water currents shift it, it is even worse as it will be in the water trapping indefinitely."

He added that the trap is made of nylon and will not degrade naturally in the water, and so will remain there for a long time, falling apart over a long period of time only when abrasion against the water bed cuts the cords.

Mr Kalai Vanan, deputy chief executive officer at Animal Concerns Research & Education Society (Acres), told ST that Acres often responds to cases where animals become entangled or get caught in such cages, traps or fishing lines.

"We urge the public to be vigilant when walking along park connectors and waterways to inform the authorities if they sight such traps, fishing lines or people fishing in prohibited areas," he said. "They can also help remove the traps or abandoned fishing lines if possible. These traps can be of great harm to our fauna."

Acres receives about two calls per month on animals that are entangled or caught in cages, traps or fishing lines.

In June last year, a dead otter was found in a cage along the Marina Promenade and a man was caught setting traps in the area that same day.

PUB urged the public to call its hotline on 1800-CALL-PUB (1800-2255-782) if they have information on the new case, or if they have spotted any suspicious activities at the reservoir.

When reporting, it would be helpful to furnish the date, time and location, along with any photos and videos.

Read more!

5-year-old French girl bitten by otter at Gardens by the Bay

Chung Lyn-Yi Channel NewsAsia 30 Dec 17;

SINGAPORE: A trip to the Gardens by the Bay took an awful turn for a French family on Saturday (Dec 30) when an otter attacked their 5-year-old girl, leaving her with a bleeding foot.

The father of the family, Mr Julien le Tourneur D'Ison, said they had arrived at the attraction at 12.15pm and were approaching a little bridge at Satay by the Bay when they saw a “bunch of tourists really excited by a bunch of otters swimming back and forth”.

“We saw a bunch of otters swimming towards us. We were about 1 metre away and an otter jumped out and bit my daughter’s foot,” said Mr Le Tourneur.

The 45-year-old, who was also there with his wife and two other children – a 6-year-old boy and 5-month-old baby - described the incident as “really unlucky”.

The little girl who was bitten, Tess, was left screaming and crying. Her foot “bled for about five minutes”, he said.

Mr Le Tourneur also said his daughter’s screams attracted the attention of scores of people who came forth to offer help. “A lot of people came from the food court with a first aid kit,” he said.

The family rushed Tess to KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital in a taxi.

“An X-ray showed that fortunately the teeth did not touch her bone but the wound is deep enough that they have to perform a little surgery,” Mr Le Tourneur told Channel NewsAsia.

Tess had local anaesthesia administered and doctors in the emergency room cleaned up her wound.

Reflecting on the incident, Mr Le Tourneur said “it was too many people massing around” the animals. “The otters must have been scared or nervous with so many people pulling out their cameras.”

He suggested fencing up more of the area around the bridge, as otters known to inhabit the area are “wild animals” after all.

Mr Le Tourneur, who works in marketing for digital maps company HERE Technologies, was based in Singapore for two years, but has since relocated to Berlin. The otter attack was an “unfortunate start” to a two-week holiday, he said.

“The Gardens by the Bay is such a lovely place. I would recommend anyone to visit,” stressed Mr Le Tourneur.

“But if you see an otter swimming towards you, go the other way.”

GARDENS BY THE BAY TO PUT UP ADDITIONAL WARNING SIGNS

In a statement to Channel NewsAsia, a spokesperson for Gardens by the Bay said following the attack, its visitor services staff helped the family by helping them get a taxi to the nearest hospital.

It added that its staff will put up additional signage to remind visitors not to touch the otters.

"Otters are often spotted at Gardens by the Bay along the promenade area facing Marina Bay. While they may appear tame, they are nonetheless wild animals and may react if visitors get too close," Gardens by the Bay said. "As such, there is signage along the promenade to advise visitors not to approach them, and instead observe them from a distance."

"TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT": ACRES

Otter enthusiast Goh Mei Woon, who was in the area at the time, but did not witness the incident, said she noticed that there were "quite a lot of people" standing on the platform looking at the otters.

"I was a bit concerned that people were too near (the otters). The otters have occasionally jumped up on the platform. I was telling people to keep a distance as we don't want anything to happen to the little ones," she said.

She has been watching otters since April and has only seen an otter jump onto the platform once. "Very rarely do they even come up."

The Animal Concerns and Research Education Society (ACRES) said the incident appeared to have occurred due to "stress from the curious crowd approaching the otter family with pups - too close for comfort".

"For any wildlife including otters, it is important to learn wildlife etiquette and appreciate from a distance," its deputy chief executive Anbarasi Boopa told Channel NewsAsia. "Wild animals, just like us, will defend themselves and their family - particularly in this case, there were pups - if they feel threatened or cornered, and this has resulted in this unfortunate incident."

ACRES urged members of the public to keep a distance when encountering wildlife in their habitats. They should not feed the wildlife as well.

Source: CNA/ly/dl


Girl, 5, bitten by otter near Satay by the Bay
Sue-Ann Tan Straits Times 31 Dec 17;

Otters are cute, but it is best to watch them from afar, said otter enthusiasts after a five-year-old French girl was bitten by one at Gardens by the Bay yesterday.

The incident happened when Mr Julien le Tourneur D'Ison, his wife and their three children aged five months to six years, were near Satay by the Bay, Channel NewsAsia (CNA) reported.

There were some tourists who were "really excited by a bunch of otters swimming back and forth", the 45-year-old Frenchman told CNA. "We saw a bunch of otters swimming towards us. We were about 1m away and an otter jumped out and bit my daughter's foot," he said, adding that his daughter's wound required surgery as it was deep.

Two members of the OtterWatch group were there at the time. The group is an informal community that tracks otters in Singapore.

One of them was Ms Goh Mei Woon, a 50-year-old housewife. She estimated that more than 20 people were crowding around some 10 otters, five of which were pups. "I was going around telling people to give the otters space. Some were standing so close, they were within touching distance of the otters," Ms Goh told The Sunday Times.

"While I was still telling people to stand back, I heard a scream and saw a girl crying because she had been nipped in the foot."

She said someone with a first-aid box, who might be a Gardens employee, went to help the girl.

A spokesman for Gardens by the Bay said its visitor services staff got a taxi to take the family to hospital.

Veteran otter watcher Jeffery Teo, 46, said: "Animals can't talk, so they react when they get stressed. The otter's bite was a warning to humans to stand back."

Mr Teo advised people to stand at least 10m away, especially when there are pups. "We need to respect animals like humans. They're wildlife, not tame pets," he said.

Mr Le Tourneur also acknowledged that there were many people surrounding the otters then, and that the animals "must have been scared or nervous with so many people pulling out their cameras".

Another otter enthusiast, Mr Bernard Seah, 48, said the mammals add a "dimension to the experience of visiting Gardens by the Bay", and that it would be a pity if that were to change.

"Maybe we can have a group of otter watchers who informally help out at places like the Gardens where the otters are," he suggested.

The Gardens spokesman said people should remember that otters are wild animals.

"Otters are often spotted at Gardens by the Bay along the promenade area facing Marina Bay. While they may appear tame, they are nonetheless wild animals and may react if visitors get too close," he said.

"There is signage along the promenade to advise visitors not to approach them, and instead observe them from a distance," he added.

"But following this incident, we will be putting up additional signage to remind visitors not to touch the otters."

According to the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority's website, the public are, among other things, advised not to talk loudly nor use flash photography when they encounter otters. This is because noise and light may scare and provoke otters.

Read more!

'Forgotten' baby otters rescued, reunited with family by volunteers

Melissa Zhu Channel NewsAsia 28 Dec 17;

SINGAPORE: A pair of 11-week-old otter pups that were "forgotten" and left without food were reunited with their family on Thursday (Dec 28), with the help of a dedicated team of volunteers.

Mr Jeffery Teo, from the community group OtterWatch, said the family of smooth-coated otters was first spotted without two of their pups at about 6am on Wednesday.

The family, which is known to have six pups, took four of them to Gardens by the Bay but two of them were lost along the way.

On Wednesday evening, the two missing pups were sighted near Nicoll Highway, but their family was across the water at Gardens by the Bay.

The pups are too young to swim across the deep water and would have had "zero" chance of survival if left alone, Mr Teo said.

He explained that the pups are beginning to eat fish, but cannot catch fish on their own and they were still suckling.

The volunteers considered the option of keeping the baby otters alive in captivity but were "quite confident" that they could reunite the family.

"From our observations, this is not intentional abandonment by the families," Mr Teo said.

RESCUE OPERATION

The operation involved three teams - one to follow the otter family, another to stay with the pups, and the last to make sure there were no adult otters in the area where the two pups were, Mr Teo said.

The Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (ACRES) led a rescue operation at about 10.30am on Thursday.

ACRES deputy chief executive Kalai Vanan with one of the rescued otter pups. (Photo: OtterWatch)
Mr Kalai Vanan, deputy chief executive of ACRES, said OtterWatch contacted the animal welfare group after they determined that the two otter pups had been left behind at the Kallang riverside area.

ACRES and OtterWatch initially wanted to let the family find the pups but as the amount of time that the baby otters had been alone approached the 30-hour mark, they feared the otters might become weak and potentially drown in the water. Hence, they decided to rescue them, Mr Kalai said.

The two otters were initially hiding in their holt, a small den Mr Teo estimated was about 30cm wide, and rescuers had to wait patiently for them to emerge onto a grass patch so they could be trapped.

Rescuers tried to attract the otters' attention and lure them into a trap, but the pups did not fall for it as they "may have been scared of the foreign object", Mr Kalai said.

So they resorted to using pole nets to catch the animals on foot.

The first pup was caught at around 11.30am. As it was showing signs of stress, it was brought back to be returned to his family first, OtterWatch said in a Facebook post.

However, its sibling slipped through the net and rescuers had to wait for the pup to settle down before trying again, eventually catching it at 1.15pm, Mr Teo said.

On the difficulties of the rescue operation, Mr Teo said: "The pups were very alert ... There were a lot of attempts to make sure the pups don't run back so easily into their holt."

OtterWatch estimated that as of noon at Thursday, the pups had gone without food for about 42 hours, since their last meal on Tuesday evening. Thankfully, both were reunited with their family.

"We are really happy with the outcome because time was about to run out for these two pups," the community group said in a Facebook update after the rescue.

The entire rescue operation took about three and a half hours, Mr Kalai said.

"ACRES would like to extend their appreciation to Otterwatch for their tireless efforts to observing the movement of the otters to make the operation a successful one," the wildlife rescuer added.

One of OtterWatch's long-time members, Mr Teo said he felt that otters in Singapore should be cherished.

"With clean water come otters. These natural creatures are direct endorsements of Singapore's decades of efforts in our green and blue projects; they are a beautiful outcome of the government and people's years of effort."

The group also saved two otter pups after they were separated from their families last year, and helped to remove an o-ring which was hurting a young otter this year.

Read more!

Pasir Ris otters a favourite subject of Nat Geo's Nature Photographer of the Year Jayaprakash Bojan

Singapore-based Jayaprakash Bojan talks about his favourite otter family in Pasir Ris and the real story behind his prize-winning orangutan encounter in Borneo.
Mayo Martin Channel NewsAsia 14 Dec 17;

SINGAPORE: He may have braved the rainforest jungles of Borneo to get his prize-winning peekaboo shot of a wild orangutan.

But this year’s National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year says Singapore is as good a place as any to shoot some fascinating wildlife, from local and migratory birds to its loveable otters.

In fact, Jayaprakash Bojan told Channel NewsAsia that the latter are his favourite subjects here.

“I’ve been photographing the Pasir Ris family for a year and a half now. I live in Pasir Ris Link and the park is one of my favourite places. When I’m not travelling, I go there three to four times a week, and there are a few spots they show up very regularly. Typically, in the mornings, they’d come and roll on the grass,” said the 41-year-old photographer from Tamil Nadu, India.

He has even won an award for one of his otter photos – a scene depicting an encounter between the animals and morning joggers had previously won first prize at a contest in India.

“There were these uncles who were taking photos with their handphones and the otters were curious and even walked closer to them," Bojan recalled.

"I used that photograph to tell the story of how wildlife can still coexist with humans in an urban place like Singapore. It’s got really limited wildlife but it’s just amazing to see how people here are very appreciative of what is there, preserving and taking care of them.”

ENCOUNTERING ‘COOPER’ IN THE WILD

At the heart of Bojan’s love for photography is animal conservation. His award-winning photo of the male orangutan – fondly nicknamed “Cooper” by his wife for its copper-tinted fur – is part of an ongoing project of photographing endangered primates all around the world.

Another of his photographs – of an African cheetah – also made it to the National Geographic finals, but Bojan said he was glad it was the orangutan image that won.

“I’m happy to just put the spotlight on the orangutans – they deserve it more than me winning the award,” he said, recalling the shock he felt at the sight that greeted him at the beginning of his trip to Indonesia’s Central Kalimantan in August.

“When you fly down from Jakarta, all you see around are palm oil farms – probably 60 to 70 per cent of the habitat of the orangutans have been destroyed by palm oil cultivation. I was impacted by the loss of habitat,” he said, adding that he plans to donate part of his prize money – US$7,500 (S$10,000) – to orangutan conservation.

As for the real story behind the prize-winning shot, Bojan knew he was on to something special when he was told by one of the local rangers that there were occasional sightings of orangutans crossing the Sekonyer River.

“Historically, there are very few documented evidence of orangutans in the river, because they hate water and some parts of the river have crocodiles. So we took the risk,” said Bojan.

It was only on the second day of living on a boat when he and his companions finally spotted the great ape.
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“I decided to jump into the river and hid behind a tree. It happened that the orangutan saw me and kind of hid behind another tree trunk in the river. So I just stood still – and after a few seconds, the orangutan came out to see if I was still there. I took a sequence of around 25 pictures. It was an exciting, thrilling moment for me,” he said.

FROM SINGAPORE ZOO TO INDOCHINA

And there have been many such moments for Bojan, who had simply been a hobbyist until his move to Singapore a couple of years ago to follow his wife, who works in the banking industry.

After working in the corporate sector in India for 18 years, he decided to quit his job to pursue his passion for travel and photography as a freelance wildlife photographer.

In the past 11 months, he has been to Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia and Malaysia – primarily to focus on his endangered primates project, which he hopes to publish as a photobook by the end of next year.

His passion for endangered primates began thanks to a visit to the Singapore Zoo upon moving here two years ago – and seeing the orangutans, gibbons and red langur.

“It’s honestly one of the best zoos I’ve seen. The design is so beautiful you don’t feel you’re in a zoo. Something was triggered and I thought should go and find all these primates and photograph them in the wild.”

He added: “In Indochina alone there are about 25 rare monkey or primate species that are highly endangered. For some of them, there are only about 40 to 50 alive. So far, I’ve only captured around nine species because they’re really hard to spot, especially since I’m trying to photograph them in the wild.”

And there’s more on his plate. In February, he’ll be in Japan to shoot their famous snow monkeys. The month after that, it’s off to the Himalayas in the hopes of spotting the elusive snow leopards.

“That’s going to be a really tough one. It’s maybe 10,000 feet about sea level and very low on oxygen. But we have a good team there,” he said.

And is his wife okay with his constant travelling? “She’s a huge nature lover. In fact whenever she has time she travels with me. But it’s not easy to be away from home weeks at a time. Obviously, you need a supportive wife,” he said with a laugh.

Source: CNA/mm

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