An injured otter was spotted swimming in a canal at Pasir Ris Park on Monday by otter enthusiast Abel Yeo, who alerted Facebook group OtterWatch about the animal’s situation. Photos posted online showed a deep pink wound on the young pup’s back, which Yeo said did not seem infected.
Animal welfare group Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres) said it was notified of the case about a week ago — it has since been looking at rescue methods to find the otter and bring it over to Wildlife Reserves Singapore for treatment.
With this new information from Yeo, OtterWatch and Acres are tracking down the injured creature.
According to Acres, it is believed that a thick wire was entangled around the animal’s body, and the wire got embedded in its skin, Channel NewsAsia reported. But despite the wound, Yeo said the otter seemed to be “swimming and eating well”.
Even though injured otters are a rare sight in Singapore, the urban environment can pose a threat to them, with fishing lines from illegal traps and snares in the waters. But Acres did not rule out foul play, stating that it was aware of illegal poaching activities and poachers leaving noose snares or other traps to hunt wild boars and monitor lizards.
If you happen to spot an injured otter, do snap a photo (you already do that with all otters anyway), take note of the location and pass on the information to OtterWatch or Acres.
