Plans to Manage Otters Going into Residential Areas and Destroying Fishes in Homes
Ministry of National DevelopmentSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns Mr Lim Biow Chuan’s inquiry regarding National Parks Board (NParks) plans to manage otters entering residential areas and preying on domestic fish. Minister for National Development Desmond Lee stated that NParks works with the Otter Working Group to apply measures like olfactory irritants, cordoning, and relocating otters in high-conflict areas. The Minister highlighted public outreach efforts, including house visits and webinars, where homeowners are advised to install physical barriers like wire mesh to prevent otter intrusion. NParks also conducts school talks to raise wildlife awareness and continuously monitors the otter population to review current management strategies. These policies aim to mitigate disamenities while ensuring public safety through a combination of physical deterrents and community engagement.
Transcript
56 Mr Lim Biow Chuan asked the Minister for National Development in view of the regular feedback on otter cases received by NParks each month since 2022, what are NParks' further plans for managing otters that have moved into residential areas and are destroying fishes in residential homes.
Mr Desmond Lee: Otters are native to Singapore and human-otter conflicts arise from time to time.
To manage such conflicts, the National Parks Board (NParks) works closely with community partners, like the Otter Working Group. This Group includes Government agencies, academic experts and members of the nature community. We have jointly developed measures, such as cordoning off areas where adult otters may display protective behaviour in the presence of young otters, and using olfactory irritants to guide otters away from residential areas. To safeguard public safety, NParks may also trap and relocate otters away from areas of intensified human-otter conflict.
NParks also carries out public engagement and outreach, including school assembly talks and public webinars, to raise awareness on wildlife management. NParks will continue to conduct house visits and town hall sessions with residents affected by otter-related disamenities and share advisories for the community on how to guard against otter intrusion. For instance, in areas where otters are prevalent, homeowners who keep ornamental fish are advised to install wire mesh and other barriers to prevent otters from entering their homes.
NParks will continue to monitor the otter population in Singapore closely and review the current suite of measures to manage the otter population.