Clementi resident has close encounter with civet cat at void deck, netizens say keep further distance

Man records late night encounter with civet cat at void deck

A man in Singapore, endeared by his encounter with a civet cat, shared a video of the wild creature with netizens earlier this month.

Speaking to MS News, Jeremy said that he came across the civet cat at a void deck in Clementi on 5 Oct at around 11.30pm.

Video shows civet cat up close on void deck, retreating away

In the video, the animal could be seen sitting at the top of a small set of stairs.

As Jeremy approached and the camera zooms in on the civet cat, it starts to retreat towards a ramp.

Instead of escaping down the ramp, the civet cat squeezed into a gap in the railing and onto a ledge.

As Jeremy got closer, the animal seemed unsure of where to go.

While it looked straight into the camera at certain points, the civet cat also peered over the edge of the platform it was on.

Netizens say to keep further distance from civet cat

Netizens on the Singapore Wildlife Sightings Facebook group expressed concerned for the animal, noticing its fear and advising Jeremy to keep his distance from the civet cat.

Another commenter laid out the risks of getting so close to the wild animals, noting how scared they could be.

Nonetheless, they thanked Jeremy for the video.

Meanwhile, another netizen shared an anecdote about how they had seen civet cats on sale as pets in Jakarta, Indonesia.

They claimed that the wild animal bit their finger as they were petting them.

According to wildlife advisories, the public is advised against cornering or chasing civet cats.

Doing so may provoke them to attack in order to protect themselves.

Resident says civet cats usually come out at night

Jeremy shared with MS News that he had seen the civet cat before, noting that there was a family of two or three near the estate.

He said they normally only come out late at night, and that this one looked like it was about to eat the food that had been left out for the community cats.

Also read: Civet cat strolls through Redhill MRT station, rare sighting takes commuter by surprise

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Featured image adapted from Singapore Wildlife Sightings on Facebook.