Otters in Singapore have skillfully adapted to the urban environment.
A video of otters crossing roads in Singapore with the help of the police is going viral on social media. The video, which has reportedly been taken on a multilane road outside Singapore’s presidential palace, shows police officials stopping traffic so that a romp of otters can safely cross over.
It appears that the animals in the video are Lutrogale perspicillata—known for their velvety coat and are the largest species of otters in Southeast Asia.
While otters are commonly spotted in Singapore, for non-residents the video seemed highly interesting and endearing.
Otters crossing a main Rd in Singapore 🦦🦦🦦🦦🦦 pic.twitter.com/fL9PBILdZM
Best of Express Premium
— rosie milne (@Rosieannemilne) March 11, 2022
In recent years, the population of otters has increased multiple times in Singapore. Locals often post videos of the animals scaling walls, lounging in the sun, carefully crossing roads, and even indulging in “gang wars” with other otters to assert territorial dominance.
From my friend in Singapore the ever delightful otters! Watch how they look both ways before crossing the road & make sure babies scale the wall. So dear. Have been so engrossed in this many times I forgot to retweet it!🤣 https://t.co/r2R4LotaZl
— Adelaide (@Adelaidesoars) March 16, 2021
Two groups of otters in Singapore fight over territory. pic.twitter.com/hFFuf9tDvL
— CrazyShit (@OnlyCrazyShit) October 31, 2021
After a swim, Singapore’s city dwelling Smooth-coated otters spend time taking care of their extraordinary coat. Rolling on grass is part of the coat maintenance routine and luckily for me it is also really cute to watch 🤩🥰 pic.twitter.com/FDlQTS5LEH
— incidental naturalist (@IncNaturalist) August 29, 2021
On Friday, even Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong shared a video in which otters are seen crossing roads near the Istana, the residence and office of Singapore’s president. While sharing the adorable video, the Prime Minister thanked the Istana staff for assisting the animals.
Our local otters have been dropping in on the Istana. Appreciate the care by Istana staff, @nparksbuzz, @SingaporePolice and members of public to help them co-exist with us safely in our urban environment, e.g. crossing the road safely. – LHL https://t.co/H8jGiAmTLB pic.twitter.com/j0lzTZIiyU
— leehsienloong (@leehsienloong) March 11, 2022
Though otters mostly co-exist peacefully with humans in Singapore’s urban environment, there have been some instances where they have attacked humans and even encroached private ponds to hunt for expensive Koi fish that are traditionally kept as pets.
‘I thought I was going to die’: Graham Spencer was on his usual 6 a.m. walk in the Singapore Botanic Gardens when a pack of about 20 wild otters ambushed him, causing him to fall, and trampled and bit him https://t.co/yVWPUSpm4w pic.twitter.com/G77DwXZYi6
— Reuters (@Reuters) December 11, 2021
Last year, Reuters reported that a British man sustained 26 wounds after he was attacked by a bunch of otters in a park.
- The Indian Express website has been rated GREEN for its credibility and trustworthiness by Newsguard, a global service that rates news sources for their journalistic standards.
