On Otters & Singaporeans

We talked about the “Bishan 10” otters in Singapore in an earlier post where they have been adopted as a symbol of an island wide conservation movement supported by the Singapore government (Bailey, 2016). The smooth coated otters are actually native to Singapore but were thought to have disappeared in the 1970s. It wasn’t until recently that they were once again sighted in Singapore’s waterways with some believing their return demonstrates the cleanliness of Singapore’s waterways.

It is quite heartening to hear that a previously thought vanished species has returned to Singapore; that there are visible results of the efforts of the various environmental groups that embrace the conservation movement. Singaporeans in general seem to receive the return of the otters with great cheer going by the amount of fan pages and groups dedicated to the watching of these otters. However, the return of the otters have also led to headaches for some members of Singaporean society.

Otters choice meals

Reports have come up since 2015 about otters going after ornamental fish at various ponds around the Sentosa, Bishan-Ang Mo Kio and Pasir Ris Park area. Koi went missing from the Rasa Sentosa Resort and Spa in July 2015 shortly after otters were spotted on the island (Boh, 2015). The same happened to a Sentosa Cove resident who has been purported to have lost about $64,000 worth of ornamental fish over-night in April 2015 (Lee, 2016). But it is not just ornamental fish the otters go after but also commercial businesses like fishing ponds. Otters have reportedly been raiding a fishing pond in Pasir Ris since early 2016 and costs the owner hundreds of dollars per raid (Azman, 2016). Coupled with the high frequency of raids, these raids are making a severe dent in the owner’s profits. Thus the return of otters do levy a financial cost on certain members of our society.  

To protect their fish, owners have attempted to shore up their defenses against otters by installing electric fences with motion sensor lights in an attempt to ward off these unwanted visitors. But the effectiveness of these measures is still contested as otters are intelligent enough to find ways around such systems.

Governance

I thought this otter case was really interesting because the general approach to conservation tends to be to protect species, especially so for species with smaller populations. Yet there is little to no discussion on the effects of reintroducing these species could cause. I think it’s rarely discussed because conservation often focuses on a specific area which more often than not tends to have little to no human presence. But in Singapore’s case where the urban environment melds with the natural, the addition of these new species will undoubtedly have an effect on society and in turn increase the overall complexity of our socio-ecological systems.

I think the concept of balance here is vital for such socio-ecological mixes. In this case, the otters cannot be simply allowed to consume fish from property owners. Owners cannot directly remove the otters because it’s actually illegal to harm the otters. Thus the balance of power is tilted in favour of the otters which is an issue the governing body (NEA) needs to look into to ensure that the interest of these owners are safeguarded without neglecting the otters. It’s really hard though, because of the fact that the otters are mobile enough that they can avoid barriers. At the same time, creating specific feeding zones for the otters would be rather counterintuitive because its moving towards domesticating the otters instead of leaving them wild.

Bibliography

Azman, A. (2016, Oct 7). Otters raid fishing pond at Pasir Ris Park. Retrieved from The Straits Times: http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/environment/otters-raid-fishing-pond-at-pasir-ris-park

Bailey, R. (2016, Jul 5). Singapore's celebrity urban otter family. Retrieved from BBC News: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-36700728

Boh, S. (2015, Jul 9). Did otters eat koi worth $80,000. Retrieved from The Straits Times: http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/did-otters-eat-koi-worth-80000

Lee, P. (2016, Aug 6). Sentosa Cove Residents put up fences to fend off otters preying on fish in homes. Retrieved from The Straits Times: http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/otters-prey-on-fish-at-sentosa-cove-homes-desperate-residents-put-up-fences-motion-sensor