Woman bitten by otter near Robertson Quay, area cordoned off

SINGAPORE - The National Parks Board (NParks) has cordoned off an area along the Singapore River where otters have been spotted after a woman was bitten on the morning of May 11.

According to Chinese-language daily Lianhe Zaobao, the incident happened near Jiak Kim Bridge in Robertson Quay.

In response to media queries, NParks said the area is where smooth-coated otters have been spotted with their young, but it did not elaborate on how many otters were involved in the incident.

NParks said the

Otter Working Group

 – which includes representatives from NParks, national water agency PUB, Mandai Wildlife Group, the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society and other organisations – provided immediate assistance to the woman.

The board is also in contact with her family.

NParks did not say how old the woman is or how seriously she was injured. The Singapore Civil Defence Force said it did not receive any call for assistance.

To ensure public safety, NParks has stepped up patrols in the area and installed additional signage to remind visitors to keep a safe distance from the otters, particularly near their nursing site.

Mr How Choon Beng, group director of wildlife management at NParks, said: “Together with the Otter Working Group and our community of otter watchers, NParks monitors the otters regularly to better understand their population, distribution and movement patterns, and takes proactive measures to pre-empt or mitigate human-animal conflicts where possible.”

He added that otters are curious by nature and will not attack unless provoked or when they feel threatened.

The public is advised to maintain a safe distance, and avoid touching, feeding, chasing or cornering otters – especially if there are pups as they are protective of their young and may react defensively if threatened.

The adult otters can be easily startled when approached by humans or other animals.

The Straits Times has contacted the Otter Working Group for more information.

There have been multiple previous reports of attacks by the animals on people who have encountered them.

In April 2022, a

man who attempted to take a video of a pack of about 30 otters at Kallang Riverside Park was bitten

on his calf.

Another man was

attacked by a group of otters

on Nov 30, 2021, during a morning visit to the Singapore Botanic Gardens.