A pair of smooth-coated Otters were spotted by my sister and two of her friends in the Singapore Botanical Gardens just today!
I’m sad that I narrowly missed (by both staying at home and the fact that I just went to the Botanic Gardens a few weeks ago) seeing these amazing creatures since I’ve been wanting to see them for at least a year now, but I’m so glad that my sister, who was extremely surprised and thought the otters had escaped from the zoo, saw them in the wild. To everyone’s surprise, they ran like rabbits through the field and crowding of people after a swim in the Swan Lake near the Tanglin Gate of the gardens, only to vanish behind the bushes.
Here’s a clip shared with me by Eunice Teo, my sister’s friend of the otters running:
There have recently been many sightings of otters throughout Singapore, in very unexpected places, including Marina Bay! In fact, the otters have started raising a family there. Otters are usually seen in or near mangroves in Sungei Buloh and Pasir Ris. Less than 20 years ago, according to this article in the Straits Times, otters could only be seen in the Singapore Zoo. Now, the otter population in the wild has “soared by 10 times in the past decade.”
Family of otters in Marina Reservoir Photo courtesy: Jeffery Teo
Keep a look out for these incredible creatures if you live in Singapore! If you do see one, post your findings on this Facebook page called OtterWatch, which is a project that keeps watch on the otter sightings in Singapore.
My Nature Experiences 
Amazing!!!
Just beautiful!
Alan
You are a remarkable young lady, My wife and I have watched your talk and are very impressed by your connection with nature and skill at public speaking, sharing your love and wisdom with your peers. Keep up the good work! I will look at more of your work. I think God has made our connection with nature more wonderful because we can learn so much about Him and ourselves through it, as I see you have been doing from a young age.:-)
Thank you so much for your kind words… I was so happy to see your comment 🙂 I’m trying in my own way to create awareness in this small but richly diverse island. Yes, connecting with nature is very spiritual… I feel the presence of Him in every little insect out there.