Otter mum: Watcher shares her experience discovering death of “Zouk Mum”
Many Singaporeans were saddened by the news of the beloved “Zouk Mum” otter’s death on Friday (28 June).
Source: Tan Yong Lin on Facebook
The otter is a daughter from the famous Bishan otter family and the matriarch of her own romp, which is based in the warehouse that used to house Zouk along the Singapore River.
Grappling with the loss, wildlife enthusiasts took to social media to share their memories of the beloved otter.
Ms Jess Emmett, one of the otter family’s watchers, shared her experience of making the “devastating discovery” of Zouk Mum’s death on Facebook.
Zouk otter family changed behaviour before Zouk mum’s death
Ms Emmett observed that the Zouk family followed consistent routes, patterns, and behaviours until June.
At the beginning of the month, watchers noticed at least one loner shadowing the family, making them more alert. They were often seen chasing off these intruders.
A couple of weeks later, both Zouk Mum and Dad appeared with visible injuries. Although confrontations among otters are natural, Ms Emmett noted that the injuries they sustained were worse than usual.
Source: Tan Yong Lin on Facebook
It was around this time that Zouk Dad was ousted and a loner was accepted into the family. Shortly after, Zouk Mum also went missing.
T5, one of the female otters, then took leadership. However, watchers noted that the romp has been less cohesive, likely because their new leader is inexperienced.
The otter family’s routine also changed. They started moving more quickly between locations and sometimes skipped or shortened their usual stops.
Discovering Zouk Mum’s death
Ms Emmett and a fellow watcher were in Potong Pasir at around 9.50am on Friday (28 June) following the Zouk family when they made the discovery.
The otter family had just headed down the Kallang River after a short nap and began playing and catching fish when they “suddenly started making their curious squeak sounds”.
They also became “hyper-focused on something further down the bank”, Ms Emmett added.
Source: Jess Emmett on Facebook
Upon inspection, Ms Emmett saw the otters gathering around and squeaking at something that was not moving in the grass.
She noticed otter fur on the grass and immediately thought of Zouk Mum. However, she could not be sure until the experts could identify the otter.
Ms Emmett also noted that there was a monitor lizard at the scene, but it was “not close to the body”.
Zouk Mum removed herself from family before her death
As the Zouk family continued down the river, the National Parks Board (NParks) was contacted. Upon arrival, NParks staff moved the unmoving otter inland to weigh it safely and later confirmed that it was Zouk Mum.
“The moment the ID was confirmed that she really was Zouk Mum, there was a collective outpouring of grief,” Ms Emmett recalled.
Source: Jess Emmett on Facebook
She added that she felt devastated despite only following the family for three months, so she could not imagine how those who had followed the family for years felt.
Ms Emmett speculated that Zouk Mum may have distanced herself from the family to pass away peacefully.
Zouk Mum was a “super star otter”
According to Ms Emmett, Zouk Mum’s death felt especially impactful because she was a “super star otter”.
“Most otters I can’t tell apart, and only a few otters have individual names in the Zouk family and usually cos they have a significant role or characteristic,” she explained.
Despite the difficulty of witnessing Zouk Mum’s death, Ms Emmett expressed relief that she got to see the otter family say goodbye to their matriarch.
She noted that not all missing otters are found, and discovering Zouk Mum’s body provided “much-needed closure”.
Ms Emmett also highlighted in her post that Zouk Dad was last spotted at Botanic Gardens looking worse for wear.
“If you see an otter with a very bad open head wound, it might be Zouk Dad,” the wildlife enthusiast wrote.
Also read: Mother of otter family ‘Zouk Mum’ dies after going missing, mate has also vanished
Mother of otter family ‘Zouk Mum’ dies after going missing, mate has also vanished
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Featured image adapted from Tan Yong Lin on Facebook, Jess Emmett on Facebook
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