NParks mulls sterilisation to control otter population after they enter homes, eat koi

SINGAPORE: Lentor resident Fiona Leung was home with her family watching television when she saw something dash past at a rapid pace.

Thinking it was a neighbour’s cat, she continued watching TV until she heard a splashing sound coming from the pond in her backyard.

The unwelcome visitor was an otter – and it was the second time that week it had visited.

“It heard me approach. It popped its head out from the water with a fish in its mouth … and then I shouted. My helper went to get the broom and that’s when it jumped out and it started dashing out,” Ms Leung recounted.

While all nine of her koi fish survived, some escaped with battle scars like missing fins and wounds. The fish have become more skittish since the incident, she added.

The lone otter had broken through a gap in Ms Leung’s landed home gate that was not covered by wire mesh, which the family installed after the animal’s first visit on Dec 29 last year.

As a nomadic animal, it was likely exploring new territory and foraging while passing through the area, said Ms Cyrena Lin, director of wildlife management and outreach at the National Parks Board (NParks).