SINGAPORE: The father of the famous Bishan otter family died on Saturday (May 5) afternoon in Boon Keng, veteran otter enthusiast Jeffrey Teo old Channel NewsAsia.
The member of the group OtterWatch said the creature died at around 2.30pm surrounded by "otterers", who sat a "comfortable distance" away.
Advertisement"Two attempts were made to trap and treat him by ACRES (Animal Concerns Research and Education Society) and WRS (Wildlife Reserves Singapore) this morning, but he managed to slip away," said Mr Teo. "We made the decision to call off the trapping at about 10am so that he could rest in peace.
"Could sense his life was fading away so we decided to accompany him at his side instead."
The animal's carcass was taken to Wildlife Reserves Singapore, Mr Teo said.
An account of the otter's last moments was posted on the OtterWatch Facebook page. He was estimated to be more than seven years old.
AdvertisementAdvertisement"At about 2.30pm, Bishan Dad came out from the holt, found a comfortable spot and lay down. It was a peaceful afternoon, with occasional water splashing sound caused by boats passing by ... His life faded away at 2.40pm. R.I.P," the post read.
The Bishan otter family was first spotted at Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park in 2014. The initial family of five gained national attention in 2015, when the National Parks Board posted photos and videos of them on their Facebook page.
The family had grown to 16 strong by 2017.
Mr Teo added: "He brought so much learning on smooth-coated otter behaviour which we applied other otter families in Singapore, and shared with rest of the world."
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