Two otters found dead near Changi Sailing Club
One spotted in trap, another washed up on beach
Two otters said to be from the Pasir Ris family have been found dead near the Changi Sailing Club.
A member of the public who discovered the otters on Wednesday alerted Facebook page OtterWatch yesterday.
Photos show one of the otters covered in mud in a large metal cage under a boardwalk, while the other was washed up on the beach.
Avid otter watcher Jeffrey Teo, who is part of OtterWatch, told The Straits Times that the otter found in the cage was "in a bad shape".
It had metal cuts on its face and a monitor lizard was chewing on its body, he said, adding that the carcass will be handed over to the Wildlife Reserves Singapore for a post-mortem.
The carcass of the other otter was no longer there by the time volunteers arrived.
National University of Singapore biology lecturer N. Sivasothi, who heads the Otter Working Group, said the otters were likely from the Pasir Ris family, comprising 10 adults and four pups.
They usually roam the waters in Pasir Ris and Changi.
Mr Sivasothi said the otters, just like other wild animals, could have been looking for food when they got trapped.
He added that the use of fish as bait could have led the otters to enter the cage.
Members of the public can alert national water agency PUB to suspicious activities in Singapore's reservoirs.
In June, a dead otter was found in a cage at Marina Promenade in the Kallang Basin. A man was caught later the same day setting traps in the area.
It is illegal to use trapping cages in reservoirs or waterways. Those caught trapping any animal or doing something that hurts fauna in a reservoir may be fined up to $3,000.
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