Otter killed after suspected accident with vehicle on AYE

An injured otter was found on the Ayer Rajah Expressway early on Oct 10 in a suspected accident with a vehicle, and it later succumbed to its injuries.

In a dashcam video of the incident posted to the Facebook page of Singapore Wildlife Sightings, the otter is seen laying in the middle lane of the expressway, and is surrounded by five other otters.

As the dashcam car approaches, the five otters scurry away to the central divider.

Mr Marcus Lee, who had posted the video, said in the post that the injured otter was "writhing in pain and bleeding" when he arrived. The other otters were making sounds of distress, he said.

In the dashcam footage, a man believed to be Mr Lee is seen picking up the injured otter and carrying it to the left side of the expressway. As this is happening, the otters at the central divider can be seen peeking out from the bushes.

Stains of blood can be seen on the road where the injured otter had lain.

Mr Lee said in the post that the otter died as he was calling for help.

In another cut of the video, the otters at the central divider can be seen running across the expressway and dodging passing vehicles to get to where the dead otter was.

In a superimposed text in the video, Mr Lee said he carried the dead otter to the other otters for their "final goodbyes".

"I moved the body of the otter onto the grass farther beyond the barricade, and backed off to allow the surviving family to spend some time with the body of their deceased member, before burying it under a tree after they had moved away," he said in the Facebook post.

The Straits Times has contacted NParks and Acres for more information.