Latest News

Otters Chomp On 22 Koi Fish At Bukit Timah House, Only 1 Survivor Left

Woman Afraid To Rear Koi After Otters Attack Her Collection In Bukit Timah

Our otter population is very beloved by many Singaporeans. Some may even consider them our unofficial national animals.

Those who rear valuable fish, however, probably won’t agree with that.

Recently, a koi owner of almost 30 years was devastated to find that her entire collection had been attacked.

She awoke one morning to learn that the two ponds in her family’s Bukit Timah house were filled with partially eaten carcasses.

Out of her 23 koi and nearly 20 algae eaters, only three survived, but two of them succumbed to their injuries the same day.

Woman’s koi collection in Bukit Timah attacked by otters

Speaking to MS News, the owner, Ying, said that her koi collection was wiped out overnight on Sunday (2 Oct).

At around 7am that morning, her helper and father were shocked to discover that both ponds, which were built especially for rearing koi, were filled with fish carcasses.

Image courtesy of Ying

Ying’s father told her about what happened when she woke up.

“I was really shocked and devastated, as I have raised some of them since I was young,” she said.

 

The oldest of the koi were about 15 years old.

Image courtesy of Ying

They were found partially eaten. Some of the algae eaters were also missing their heads.

Only three surviving fish, two of them have passed on

Out of all the fish, only three survived, but they were all missing their fins and had severe injuries.

The damage was so bad that one of the fish was flipped sideways the whole time.

Image courtesy of Ying

Two of the remaining koi eventually succumbed to their injuries.

Unfortunately, the last one is also unlikely to survive as “he can’t swim or eat”.

First incident in more than 20 years

Ying told MS News that in the 20-odd years she has stayed in the Bukit Timah house, there had never been any incidents involving her koi fish until that day.

Describing her house as “rather deep in and on top of a little hill”, Ying was surprised that any animals could have made their way there.

She was encouraged to share her story as a koi farm reached out to her saying that other customers have faced the same issue.

She said,

I had this hobby for close to 30 years now and in one night, it (was) destroyed.

The estimated value of the fish was more than S$20,000, excluding pond maintenance and food.

Not the first reported incident of otters eating koi fish

Ying is now “too traumatised” to rear any more fish as she feels that Singapore isn’t safe enough for such a hobby.

She hopes that something can be done about the otter population as she feels it has gotten out of control.

This isn’t the first reported incident of otters preying on fish, both in public areas and in private housing estates.

One family decided to help an otter family cross the road after the animals had eaten their koi fish collection, noting that humans need to co-exist with animals in Singapore.

Meanwhile, in June, a goldfish owner woke up to find that all 50 of his goldfish had been eaten by a pack of otters.

NParks have advised fish owners to identify possible entry points and block them off so that otters won’t be able to enter their homes.

Source: NParks

Hopefully, this will help prevent more of such tragedies in the future.

Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.

Featured image courtesy of Ying.

Jonathan Yee

Jonathan is a bedroom headbanger. His Kobo is never far from him.

Recent Posts

77-year-old woman jailed 10 weeks for biting police officer at Yishun coffee shop

She remained defiant when the police asked her to stop drinking.

19 Dec 2024, 1:27 am

5 new F&B outlets to check out at Parkway Parade, including Saboten Express & Mister Donut

Running out of ideas for where to makan is never an issue at this mall.

18 Dec 2024, 6:00 pm

Teacher dies after being hit by train in Thailand, believed to have been recording TikTok video

Authorities believe the train struck the man and dragged his body 200 to 300 metres…

18 Dec 2024, 5:55 pm

Labubu reseller in M’sia to sue woman for S$151K after she accuses its toys of being fake

The young woman won a Labubu doll bought from the reseller during a laksa stall's…

18 Dec 2024, 5:48 pm

Elderly man in India arrested for allegedly engaging in sexual act with street dog

Police said the canine was tied while being sexually assaulted by the accused.

18 Dec 2024, 4:59 pm