Otter Working Group provided assistance to woman bitten near Robertson Quay
The public has been advised to keep a safe distance after a woman was reportedly bitten by an otter near Robertson Quay.
Areas of the park along the Singapore River have also been cordoned off, reported Shin Min Daily News.
Source: Google Maps
Parts of park in Robertson Quay cordoned off on 11 May
A reader informed the paper that at 7am on Sunday (11 May) that parts of Kim Seng Park in Robertson Quay had been cordoned off.
Several police officers were at the scene, with a member of the public believed to have been bitten by an otter.
When reporters arrived at about 10am, they observed that about 10m of the pathway was closed.
The police had left, but three officers in National Parks Board (NParks) uniforms were there, in conversation with a group of animal lovers.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
Signs advise public to keep a safe distance
Additionally, at least three signs with the NParks logo were placed in the area, which is near Jiak Kim Bridge.
They advised members of the public to keep a safe distance from a family of smooth-coated otters in the area.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
“Otters are social animals that practice co-operative breeding where the whole family tends to the young,” the sign read, adding:
Hence, they are very protective towards their pups.
The area was thus closed to serve as a “temporary nursing site” for the family of otters.
Woman sees otter in Robertson Quay almost daily
A woman who walks her dog in the park every morning told Shin Min that she sees otters there almost every day.
Five or six otters would usually be swimming and playing in the river, occasionally straying onto the path, she said.
In fact, she just saw an otter the day before, added the resident, who declined to be named.
NParks aware of otter bite near S’pore River
In response to queries from MS News, NParks said it is aware that an otter had bitten someone along the Singapore River on Sunday.
The person was attended to immediately by the Otter Working Group, which was present on site when the incident happened. The Otter Working Group is composed of personnel from NParks, national water agency PUB, Mandai Wildlife Group and the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society, among others.
NParks is also in contact with the affected person’s family, it said, without specifying details about her identity, how badly she was injured or how many otters were involved in the incident.
The agency will conduct patrols in the area to remind the public to keep a safe distance, it added.
NParks has cordoned off the area where the family of Smooth-coated Otters have been observed with their young, in the interest of public safety.
It reminded the public to avoid touching, feeding, chasing, cornering or approaching otters, especially when they are taking care of their pups.
Not the first time that otters have bitten people
This is not the first time that members of the public have been attacked by otters.
In December 2021, a man who was on a morning walk at the Singapore Botanic Gardens said he was bitten 26 times by a romp of otters.
Another incident, in April 2022, involved a man who was bitten by an otter at Kallang Riverside Park as he was following its family.
Also read: S’pore otters in BBC’s new documentary, producer fascinated by ‘otter drama’
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Featured image adapted from Shin Min Daily News and Google Maps.
