Many of these enthusiasts have produced well-edited videos that vividly relay relatable stories about the otter populations in Singapore. Population Structure, Distribution, and Habitat Use of Smooth-Coated Otters Lutrogale perspicillata in Singapore . There is scant information on the sea otter, which is only found in the coastal waters of northern Japan. Interestingly, the branch of otters we now have in Singapore is believed to be a unique hybrid population—the result of an even union between both species, making it a surviving population that nearly went extinct. “The otters killed all the fishes in the pond,” Jazreel Low wrote in a Facebook post punctuated by a sad face emoji and what looks like a surveillance camera image of four otters skipping through her temporarily shuttered business. Otter enthusiasts have also set up their own Facebook pages, such as Ottercity, to spot and track their movements. Life was already hardscrabble for the seven river otters known as the Zouk family. But the restored waters brought back an otter banquet: tilapia, catfish and all manner of exotic species, such as the yellow-hued Orinoco peacock bass. A family of six, known as the Zouk 6, was sighted on Anson Road in CBD on Thursday, June 13, 2019. About 90% of Singaporeans live in public housing, not the multimillion-dollar detached homes that can support fish ponds. Otter watchers such as Teo think the backlash has been overblown. Kathy writes marine and environmental stories at Kontinentalist. Belmont Lay | September 30, 2019, 04:15 PM . And now that Singapore’s otter population has grown to about 90 animals belonging to 10 families, clashes for choice river banks and fishing waters have grown too. Karen and Tai Carter teach kindergarten from a Highland Park school. Wild smooth-coated otters feed on a fish in the Singapore River on Feb. 21, 2019. By the mid-1980s, Singapore’s otters had disappeared because of pollution and development. When free, she enjoys being in the ocean, trying to spot some sharks or just home cuddling with her cavvie, Danea. This lets citizens help scientific researchers monitor otter behaviours, encouraging citizens to become more invested in Singapore’s wildlife and, hopefully, learn more about the country’s environmental policies. Singapore seemed a city captivated by the cuddly creatures — a model of coexistence with urban wildlife. These days they teach together from home. A human rights group in Belarus says over 320 people have been detained during protests against the country’s authoritarian president. “They spend time with family. They swim by row boats, roll in the grass next to tourists and take dips in reservoirs, whose banks double as jogging paths. “Mr. This family of smooth-coated otters… Otterwatch, another Facebook group focused on otters, was set up in 2012 by the National University of Singapore’s N. Sivasothi to help support several student projects with otters. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/330349070_Observations_of_the_Variation_in_Group_Structure_of_two_Urban_Smooth-Coated_Otter_Lutrogale_perspicillata_Groups_in_the_Central_Watershed_of_Singapore. Thanks to the Singapore River clean up in 1977, its ecological conditions and biodiversity have proven ideal for supporting otters—a far cry from our once oxygen-starved waterways. 35 (3): 171 – 182). https://www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts/mammals/otters-of-the-world/. There are two species of otters in SG – smooth-coated otters and Asian small-clawed otters. The NRDC has since been partnering with organisations around the world to put together a strong case for the ban. David Pierson is a Southeast Asia correspondent for the Los Angeles Times in Singapore. In 2016, local media reported otters ate tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of exotic fish from private ponds on exclusive Sentosa Island. That doesn’t satisfy critics like Ong, the author of the letter to the Straits Times, who is convinced more Singaporeans would demand stricter management of the urbanized otters if they weren’t scared of a backlash. Residents have erected fences to keep them out, but nature conservationists note that these fences, deployed neither adequately or appropriately, have been effective at stopping otters adapted to surviving in the urban environment. Local scientist Meryl Theng who contributed to an international paper on the population movement of otters, brought this to light. http://www.otter.org/audioSamples/AsianSmallClawedOtter.mp3. http://www.otterspecialistgroup.org/Bulletin/Volume35/Vol35_Iss3_Index.html?fbclid=IwAR3ym9QO54h5_T3-kFltGZo0NhDFg-SDN82abyznrNRFXbc9tELFllIhYbY. Some tried to break up squabbles with umbrellas. Completed Wisconsin recount confirms Biden’s win over Trump. Most have not been sighted in typical otter habitats—often the wilder plots of nature in the country. A gunman fired into a crowd gathered at the burial service of an 18-year-old who was fatally shot by a Florida sheriff’s deputy earlier this month. The otters in Singapore are the lucky ones; though once thought to be extinct here, wild otters have made a strong comeback in local waters. I’ve seen too many accidents.”. Local scientist Meryl Theng who contributed to an international. One of the few wildlife species well-adapted to urban environments, otters are popular enough in the Garden City to be featured in David Attenborough’s Wild City documentary about Singapore in 2015, as well as in BBC Earth’s Wild Cities in 2019. https://www.nrdc.org/experts/paul-todd/asian-countries-propose-bans-commercial-trade-otters. May 9 2019. Stores are once again limiting how much toilet paper and cleaning supplies customers can buy, as the third wave of COVID-19 infections ramps up and lockdown orders return. “They’re just going to keep running around and crossing streets. Experiencing information fatigue? “Sadly, I don’t think there’s any upside for them,” he added. A push to recognize the statistics of Black players from baseball’s era of apartheid. “They have been pampered too much,” Ong said. There are two species of otters in SG – smooth-coated otters and Asian small-clawed otters… The fact the otters are even found here, in one of the densest cities in the world, provokes astonishment. Their spa jaunt this month wasn’t the first time otters had made headlines for munching on pets. Are L.A. County’s new COVID restrictions really necessary? A support group for women on the front lines of the caregiving crisis. “Wild boars have never been encouraged to enter urban areas, neither should otters be just because they look cute,” wrote Ong Junkai, an aquaculture products salesman.