However, the adorable small-clawed otters, smaller in size than their smooth-coated counterparts, have also been highly trafficked in Southeast Asia, according to a report by wildlife conservation organisation Traffic. Mp3. … In-depth stories about Asia and more delivered straight to your inbox every month. Much of MNS’ knowledge on otters comes from operating the Kuala Selangor park for over 30 years, where three of the four otter species in Malaysia are kept. The animals enter their private but open ponds and feed on the expensive pet fish within, such as tilapia and koi. Interestingly, the branch of otters we now have in Singapore is believed to be a unique hybrid populationâthe, of an even union between both species, making it a surviving population that nearly went extinct. Most otter species come ashore to give birth in dens, which sometimes have been used by other animals such as beavers. The smooth-coated otters were residents in the Sungei Buloh Wetlands Reserve in 1998, and the small-clawed otters have been around Pulau Tekong since the 1980s. Abstract Four species of otters have been recorded from Malaysia and Singapore in the past: Lutra lutra (Common or Eurasian Otter), Lutra sumatrana (Hairy-nosed Otter), Lutrogale perspicillata (Smooth Otter) and Amblonyx cinereus (Oriental Small-clawed Otter). Though education alone is not enough to change behaviours around our wildlife, several impassioned otter watchers have been volunteering their services to help new otter watchers stay mindful of their subjectsâa heartening gesture. This lets citizens help scientific researchers monitor otter behaviours, encouraging citizens to become more invested in Singaporeâs wildlife and, hopefully, learn more about the country’s environmental policies. One of the first male otters sighted in the Marina Bay family was suspected to have been poisoned. Sea otters are the exception, giving birth in … They are the more familiar ones here and have been … Their diet usually reflects the diversity of fish species in the waters they inhabit, as well as the absence of predators. 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. We won't be giving details to protect it but we would like to share with you what an Asian Small-clawed Otter roaming Singapore looks like. Accessed February 28, 2019. https://www.bfm.my/dr-philip-johns-smooth-coated-otters-singapore.html. Smooth-coated ones grow up to 1.2m long and 11kg in weight. The rise of citizen science has also created an even wider pool of data on otter observations and documentation of species behaviour, with groups like the Otter Working Group actively helping in the management and rescue of otters. Meanwhile, zoologist Chan Yik Khan said without historic data, it is hard to tell what led to … The former is nocturnal and harder to spot, while the latter (above) is commonly spotted … Moretti, Beatrice, Omar F Al-Sheikhly, Monica Guerrini, Meryl Theng, Brij K Gupta, Mukhtar K Haba, Waseem Khan, Aleem Khan, and Filippo Barbanera. Most have not been sighted in typical otter habitatsâoften the wilder plots of nature in the country. âPhylogeography of the Smooth-Coated Otter (Lutrogale Perspicillata): Distinct Evolutionary Lineages and Hybridization with the Asian Small-Clawed Otter (Aonyx Cinereus).â Scientific Reports 7 (January 27, 2017): 1â13. Teo, Jeffrey. They are the more familiar ones here and have been … By 2014, the otter population had expanded to the west and south coasts of Singapore, and the current population had begun breeding by 2015. Accessed March 1, 2019. Otters eat about 15 to 25 percent of their body weight each day. âAsian Countries Propose Bans on Commercial Trade in Otters.â NRDC. There is scant information on the sea otter, which is only found in the coastal waters of northern Japan. There are four species of river otters in Asia: the smooth-coated otter, small-clawed otter, hairy-nosed otter, and Eurasian otter. http://www.otterspecialistgroup.org/Bulletin/Volume35/Vol35_Iss3_Index.html?fbclid=IwAR3ym9QO54h5_T3-kFltGZo0NhDFg-SDN82abyznrNRFXbc9tELFllIhYbY. *Special thanks to the community of avid otter watchers of Singapore, which has been so helpful in providing us photos, information, and datasets for this story on their beloved otters. âWild Otters Are the Latest Exotic Pet Trend.â Animals, January 10, 2019. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong weighed in on the debate Friday, posting a photo he took of otters before the lockdown on his Facebook account. on the population movement of otters, brought this to light. The Smooth-coated Otter (Lutrogale perspicillata) is the largest otter in Southeast Asia, and is named after its velvety smooth coat. While Singapore is home to two species of otters — the smooth-coated otter and the small-clawed otter — only the former is popularly known and spotted across the island. An Otter Working Group was set up in Singapore, comprising researchers, conservationists, scientists, wildlife officers, and government institutions. Academics like assistant professor Philip Johns of YaleâNUS College’s Life Sciences Department are also looking to encourage citizen science by building a mobile app that allows anyone to easily upload high quality videos of the otters from their mobile phones. Although there can be overlaps in size with the cubs of larger specie… According to Sivasothi, otters are social species, and they almost always travel together in families. Their diet consists of fish, frogs, crabs, turtles etc. Subscribe to our monthly newsletter for a concise roundup of our stories. Owing its name to its short, sleek fur, smooth-coated otters are one of the two otter species found in Singapore (the other being Aonyx cinerea). http://www.otter.org/audioSamples/AsianSmallClawedOtter.mp3. Because of this, many otter species have suffered population declines throughout the world. There are currently an estimated 10 families of otters in Singapore, numbering around 70 otters in total. The case sparked a debate about whether more should be done to stop otters rampaging through the city, with a widely discussed letter in a local newspaper calling for air horns and rubber bullets to be used as deterrents. In July 2016, the 13th International Otter Symposium was held in Singapore for the first time. Accessed February 25, 2019. The current WABA review is addressing this. But their newfound freedoms appear to have emboldened the otters, and they are now facing a backlash. âDistinguishing Features between Asian Small-Clawed Otters and Smooth-Coated Otters,â March 5, 2019. That said, the Natural Resource Defense Council (NRDC), an American environmental organisation with global reach, says that enforcement at the species level has not been carried out thoroughly. Singapore . Take a walk on the wild side in Singapore, and you will find that one of the most adaptable immigrant wildlife species has made the island’s waterway systems its home, booming in number over the years. If there is less food around, otter families will split up into smaller packs to seek food. Singapore. Most of Singapore´s otters are the smooth-coated variety, classified as "vulnerable". Singapore has 2 species of otters, the Smooth-coated Otter and the very elusive Asian Small-clawed Otter. Group Bull. This file photo shows members of a wild otter family called "Bishan10" in Singapore's Kallang Basin area. Group Bull. Critically, the fish species that otters rely on as sources of food need to thrive in Singaporeâs waterways for the otters to remain. "They probably realised that there was nobody there and became more daring," Low told entertainment news website 8 DAYS. They featured in a documentary narrated by David Attenborough, are tracked avidly by the local media -- and have been spotted more frequently since people were asked to stay home and workplaces closed in April to fight the virus. Experiencing information fatigue? For National University of Singapore biologist Sivasothi N, the arrival of the Singapore otter—and its popularity among residents—is a welcome development. Otters need space to rest and sleep, and especially to dry their fur off after a hunting swimâthis helps them maintain the waterproofing ability of their fur before they return to the water again. https://cdn-images.kontinentalist.com/kontinentalist-story-asset-1551411308.mp3. adapting quickly to an urbanised landscape, 15 to 25 percent of their body weight each day, an angler was seen throwing rocks at otters. âOtters of the World.â Discover Wildlife. "I simply don´t understand anyone who could not like them. SINGAPORE: Singapore's otters, long … Asian Small Clawed Otter Sound Clip, International Otter Survival Fund. 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. http://www.otter.org/Public/AboutOtters_OtterSpecies.aspx. Cambridge International releases AS and A level results for Nov 2020 exams, Landslides kill at least 12 people in Indonesia, Pakistan women’s cricket squad clears COVID-19 tests before leaving for South Africa, Bioniks chief urges President Alvi to help subsidise prosthetic limbs for the underprivileged. Although there was no known proof of actual rat poisoning, the otter died soon after in July 2017. Yet in Singapore, the most urbanized country in the world, commuters … IUCN Otter Spec. The Wild Animals and Birds Act (WABA) protects wildlife, but the law requires evidence of the act, which can make things difficult when preventive action is required. IUCN Otter Spec. Let’s start with monkeys, though not the lunch stealing long tailed macaques. The cuteness of wild otters has led to a spate of avid otter watching in Singapore. The first ever recorded otter sighting in Singapore actually dates back to 1938, on Lazarus Island, with the next sighting of otters recorded in the 1970s. Actress-turned-entrepreneur Jazreel Low, who owns the spa, posted pictures on Facebook of fish parts scattered around the pond and lamented a "massacre". There are estimated to be about 90 otters in Singapore, making up 10 families, and appearances at popular tourist sites around the city-state´s downtown waterfront have transformed them into local celebrities. He also said many recent sightings were likely of the same family of smooth-coated otters, which have been searching for a new home along the city´s rivers. hello@kontinentalist.com. In Sentosa Cove, a luxury district in an island off Singaporeâs southern coast, residents have found the otters a problem. This species of lesser mouse-deer is unique to Singapore, but don’t be surprised if you don’t see it. Humanâanimal conflicts are common in urban spaces, but these can often be prevented with further awareness and education on appreciating Singaporeâs native wildlife without threatening or encroaching on their territory. Khoo, M de Yuan and Sivasothi, N (2018)b. Accessed January 14, 2019. âObservations of the Variation in Group Structure of Two Urban Smooth-Coated Otter Lutrogale Perspicillata Groups in the Central Watershed of Singapore.â ResearchGate. NUS´s Sivasothi criticised calls for a cull as "quite an uneducated response", and said such a move would be ineffective. Otters are members of the weasel family (Mustelidae), and while there are several other species of mustelids in Southeast Asia, such as hog badgers, ferret-badgers, the Yellow-throated Marten, and several weasels, otters are the only representatives of this family in Singapore. Thankfully, several countries are concerned about stopping the trafficking of wild otters. Two otter families in Singapore got into an epic gang fight in the portion of the canal that cuts through Braddell near Bishan. Today, a population of at least 60 hybrid otters exists in Singapore. How do otters survive in a highly urbanised city state like Singapore? "When there´s restriction of movement, there´s less vehicles and there´s less people, so the urban space opens up," said N. Sivasothi, a biologist at the National University of Singapore known as "Otterman" due to his work on the animals. https://www.nrdc.org/experts/paul-todd/asian-countries-propose-bans-commercial-trade-otters. "Wild boars have never been encouraged to enter urban areas, neither should otters be just because they look cute," wrote Ong Junkai in the correspondence to the Straits Times, which triggered calls from some for a cull. Smooth-coated ones grow up to 1.2m long and 11kg in weight. The Raffles banded langur is only found in Singapore’s Central Catchment Nature Reserve and in Johor (Malaysia); it feeds on leaves and fruits. Population Structure, Distribution, and Habitat Use of Smooth-Coated Otters Lutrogale perspicillata in Singapore . These smallest of 13 otter species in the world are social and playful animals. There are two species of otters in SG – smooth-coated otters and Asian small-clawed otters. The two common species of otters in Singapore are the smooth-coated otter (Lutrogale perspicillata) and the small-clawed otter (Aonyx cinereus). Only 40 to 60 remain – the main problem is loss of habitat and food with many of its food species also endangered. With the streets empty, the creatures have been spotted hanging out by a shopping centre, scampering through the lobby of a hospital and even feasting on pricey fish stolen from a pond. Highly social creatures that move around in herds, otters do not take well to being sold as pets and kept individually. Singapore has about 80 smooth-coated otters, also known as Lutrogale perspicillata - one of 13 otter species in the world. Encouraging good wildlife ethics, along with public involvement in research and monitoring of the species, helps the ongoing conservation and management of otters in Singapore. The smooth-coated otters are believed to have swum across the Johor Straits from Malaysia to the north side of Singapore in 1998, before deciding to make the island their home. The creatures gobbled several fish including an arowana, a prized species that can sell for tens of thousands of dollars. image caption There are two species of otter native to Singapore; the Bishan 10 are smooth-coated otters image copyright Rebecca Bailey image caption In … In other incidents, a video showed a group charging into the lobby of a children´s hospital before being shooed away, and the creatures were also filmed frolicking in the empty streets outside a popular shopping centre. While many think of tiny Singapore as a densely populated concrete jungle, it is also relatively green for a busy Asian city, and has patches of rainforest, fairly clean waterways and abundant wildlife. Four species of otters have been recorded from Malaysia and Singapore in the past: Lutra lutra (Common or Eurasian Otter), Lutra sumatrana (Hairy-nosed Otter), Lutrogale perspicillata (Smooth Otter) and Amblonyx cinereus (Oriental Small-clawed Otter). Lone otters are typically males in search of a group, and the size of these groups varies according to what different environments can provide. Singapore has two species of otters. She was history-trained but does other things now instead, like running an ecotourism shark conservation business, The Dorsal Effect. Interestingly, the branch of otters we now have in Singapore is believed to be a unique hybrid populationâthe result of an even union between both species, making it a surviving population that nearly went extinct. A few months later, in February 2018, an angler was seen throwing rocks at otters swimming by the Punggol Waterfront. Below are several diagnostic features that set them apart from other Asian species. Accessed January 14, 2019. SINGAPORE: Singapore's otters, long adored by the city-state's nature lovers, are popping up in unexpected places during the coronavirus lockdown but their antics have angered some and even sparked calls for a cull. In Singapore, the Smooth‐coated otter Lutrogale perspicillata, a species listed as Critically Endangered in the Singapore Red Data Book (Davison et al., 2008) and Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature The two common species of otters in Singapore are the. Announcement 1 of 2: Night Safari is open every day from 19 Nov 2020 to 17 Jan 2021, as well as eve of and on public holidays. The smooth-coated otters were residents in the Sungei Buloh Wetlands Reserve in 1998, and the small-clawed otters have been around Pulau Tekong since the 1980s. Accessed March 4, 2019. âOttercity Facebook Page.â Ottercity Facebook Home. Download the full report . Fans believe people should be celebrating the return of an animal that was driven out of Singapore by coastal development and water pollution around the 1970s, and only started reappearing in the 1990s as waterways were cleaned. Group Bull. The otters´ more frequent forays onto the streets of Singapore are part of a global trend triggered by virus lockdowns, with animals increasingly slipping cover to explore the streets of some of the world´s biggest cities. 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. Otter enthusiasts have also set up their own Facebook pages, such as Ottercity, to spot and track their movements. India, Bangladesh, and the Philippines have submitted proposals for a ban on the international trade of Asian small-clawed otters and smooth-coated otters. N. Sivasothi, a senior lecturer from the Department of Biological Science, Faculty of Science, National University of Singapore, has been monitoring and following these otters with his students for years. Announcement 1 of 4: Night Safari is open every day from 19 Nov 2020 to 17 Jan 2021, as well as eve of and on public holidays. https://www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts/mammals/otters-of-the-world/. Two otter species occur in Singapore. Smooth-Coated Otters in Singapore Sound Recording by Philip Johns. The smooth-coated otters were residents in the Sungei Buloh Wetlands Reserve in 1998, and the small-clawed otters have been around Pulau Tekong since the 1980s. 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. Kathy writes marine and environmental stories at Kontinentalist. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2019/01/wild-otters-popular-exotic-pets/. 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E-Mail at hello @ kontinentalist.com a prized species that otters rely on as sources of need! 25 percent of their body weight each day the 13th international otter Symposium was in! A five-year-old girl on holiday in Singapore 's otters, long … there are four species of lesser mouse-deer unique... Drop us an e-mail at hello @ kontinentalist.com movement of otters in Singapore yet in Singapore Sivasothi criticised for! Currently present here – the main problem is loss of Habitat and food with many of these enthusiasts also! Of 13 otter species in the Marina Bay family was bitten by an otter Gardens.
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