Love them or hate them, otters have slowly become somewhat of a mascot for Singapore in recent times.
Preservation groups have also sprouted up, swinging into action whenever these cute creatures run into trouble from time to time.
Recently, the OtterWatch Facebook page has called for members of the public to keep a lookout for a limping otter.
The injured female otter seemed to have a fishing hook stuck on her paw and was wandering alone without her family.
On 31 Aug, the OtterWatch Facebook page shared a post about an injured otter that was seen limping on its right paw.
According to the post, the female otter was last seen at the Singapore Botanic Gardens on 30 Aug.
The group of otter lovers headed to the area to investigate the cause of the otter’s limp.
Although they had difficulty locating the creature, they eventually managed to do so and identified the otter as Flower Head, who apparently belongs to the Zouk family.
Source: Myottermelon on Facebook
She had likely been separated from her family presumably because she couldn’t keep up with them due to her injury.
Otter watchers have also reported that she had been missing from her family before this discovery.
Identifying the otter was only one part of the mission, as keeping track of her movement proved to be a whole other challenge.
Sure enough, the otter watchers subsequently lost track of Flower Head.
But they managed to get a closer look at her injury and found that the fishing treble hook was set rather deeply in her right paw.
Source: OtterWatch on Facebook
Thankfully, the hook is barbless, making any potential removal process much more manageable.
In perhaps a slightly relieving update on Friday (2 Sep), Myottermelon reported more recent news on Flower Head.
Other volunteers have apparently found her, without the fishing hook that was previously visible on her right paw.
Source: Myottermelon on Facebook
The page also mentions that Flower Head can land on that paw now, and is only limping slightly.
However, her family allegedly still refuses to accept her back. She was grazing in the grass alone, after presumably spending the night with them.
Myottermelon states that they are still in search of the lone otter, implying that they had lost trace of her again.
If you have any information about Flower Head, do not hesitate to reach out to OtterWatch, Myottermelon, or other similar groups.
Let’s hope that they can find Flower Head and give her medical attention if need be so that she can reunite with her family once her injury heals fully.
Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.
Featured image adapted from OtterWatch on Facebook and Myottermelon on Facebook.
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