Mum From Famous Bishan Otter Family Passes Away, Lovingly Remembered By Local Community

Mum From Famous Bishan Otter Family Passes Away On 15 Dec

Otters have gained quite a reputation in Singapore, even playing the role of mascots for Government campaigns.

While frequent updates on the creatures seem to show them thriving, a recent event brings a heartbreaking turn — the mum from the famous Bishan otter family has passed away.

She reportedly managed to spend her last days with her family before retreating into a holt alone yesterday (15 Dec) and breathing her last.

Local photographer Mr Bernard, who has apparently been following the Bishan Family, penned a heartfelt post commemorating her life.

Facebook page OtterCity likewise paid tribute to the otter mum, which experts supposedly watched over in her final days.

Bishan otter mum passes away in solitude

According to OtterCity, the Bishan otter mum’s condition had begun deteriorating about a week ago, though they didn’t specify the cause.

Since then, the local otter community reportedly took turns watching over her, to ensure that she was mobile and able to eat.

They claimed that they decided not to intervene as her condition was weakening due to old age.

But should she appear to be in too much pain, volunteers were on standby to help.

Prior to this, OtterCity stated that the Bishan mum had wandered upstream along the Singapore River. While doing so, she managed to cross paths with some of her dispersed children who “provided her with comfort and company”.

Interestingly, otter watcher and photographer Mr Bernard shared a different account on Facebook.

He related how a fellow watcher spotted an otter with swollen hind legs, which the community allegedly identified as the Bishan mum.

While there are no sources to back this up, both OtterCity and Mr Bernard wrote that the otter crawled into a holt on Thursday (15 Dec) morning and never emerged again.

They took this as a sign of her passing peacefully, which watchers confirmed after checking in on her.

Photographer pens heartfelt goodbye in Facebook post

Mr Bernard took the opportunity to pen a heartfelt goodbye to the Bishan otter mum, detailing his first meeting with her and her family.

He apparently first met the family in 2016 and described it as “love at first sight”.

The otter family, curious as ever, warmed up to Mr Bernard. The otter mum even got close to his equipment, poking her head into the S$13,000 telephoto lens.

Through the years, Mr Bernard got so familiar with the Bishan otter family that he could allegedly identify the members just by looking at them.

He also found appreciation for the Bishan otter mum after noticing how much she sacrificed to raise her pups.

He once noticed how she would comb the surroundings for safety before giving birth to a new set of pups.

Mr Bernard also watched as she taught her newborns how to swim, appreciate fish, and latch onto her for food. He claimed that she would even give up her rest time to take care of them.

Now that she has passed, Mr Bernard celebrates how the creature showed Singapore and the world how they could co-exist in our urban environment.

In the last point, he shares that her family had split in half, cutting from 20 otters to 10, following her death, perhaps implying that she once kept the family together.

Great loss for otter lovers

As one of the first otters to make its name in Singapore, the Bishan otter mum’s passing will be a great loss to otter lovers around the country.

Capturing the hearts of many, she will no doubt be remembered fondly by many who knew her.

Hopefully, the dedicated photography and otter-watching community will continue documenting the creatures for years to come.

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Featured image adapted from Bernard Photojournals on Facebook.