Sentosa Cove resident uses electric fence to keep out otters

When a Sentosa Cove resident started keeping tilapia five years ago, they bred quickly and he ended up with hundreds of them.

Now he has only two left after the rest were eaten by otters in more than 20 attacks over the past two years.

The resident, who wanted to be known only as Mr Chin, said that he and several of his neighbours have lost so many fish to the otters that they have resorted to desperate measures to keep the mammals out.

He has put up a barbed wire fence and motion sensor lights, while a neighbour has installed a low-powered electric fence.

But nature experts say these measures may not work because otters are intelligent animals that will find ways to get past these obstacles.

Last July, My Paper reported that a Sentosa Cove resident lost $64,000 after her koi ended up as otter food.

GETTING WORSE

The problem seems to have worsened since then, with about 20 home owners in the posh neighbourhood having problems with otters.

Hotels and condominiums have also been affected, with a hotel losing about $85,000 worth of fish over the past eight months. (See report.)

Mr Chin told The New Paper on Wednesday that he was devastated to see his tilapia and other fish wiped out.

"Most of their bodies were not eaten. The otters just left the carcasses on the ground. I was shocked by the brutality and violence of the scene when I first saw it," he said.

"Nobody is helping us. We're so desperate. We just want to cohabit with the otters peacefully."

In an attempt to save his remaining fish, Mr Chin installed the barbed wire fence and motion sensor lights two weeks ago.

Another resident, Ms Constance Cheng, lost 22 of her 25 koi in two attacks last October. She gave away the three that survived.

She had bought two koi at just $8 each and the others at $60 to $80 each.

She said: "We kept the fish for seven years. In terms of their worth, the sentimental value is much more than anything else."

Ms Cheng then bought five tilapia at $10 each in February.

On April 2, when she returned from Japan at about 4am, she saw an otter near her pond.

She said: "We switched on the lights and saw a dead fish on the ledge of the pond. Then we looked around and saw one otter wandering on the pontoon. I used the broom to chase it back into the water, but I didn't dare to go too near to it. Eventually, it jumped into the water."

Of the other four tilapia, three had vanished. She is left with the sole survivor and about 30 offspring.

About two months ago, Ms Cheng installed a battery-operated, low-powered electric fence, costing about $380, around her pond as a temporary measure to keep out the otters.

Another resident, who declined to be named, said she has seen two otters on the footpath and in her swimming pool this year.

EFFECTIVE?

The founder of nature conservation group Nature Trekker, Mr Ben Lee, 53, thinks the measures to fend off the otters would not be effective.

He said: "Motion sensor lights will not bother the otters. The electric fence may give them a scare, but otters are strong and agile creatures.

"Whether the fences will work or not depends on their height and the density of the wire. If there are only a few wires, the otters can just squeeze in."

Mr Chin installed a barb wire fence and motion sensor lights two weeks ago TNP PHOTO: CHOO CHWEE HUA

Mr N. Sivasothi, a biological sciences lecturer at the National University of Singapore (NUS), warned that such deterrents could be a hazard to children and pets such as cats and dogs.

"They are potentially dangerous in residential areas. Simple fibreglass barriers for koi ponds, for example, would be enough to prevent otter access," he said.

The divisional director of operations at Sentosa Leisure Management, Mr Koh Piak Huat, said it had received only a small number of otter-related feedback in Sentosa this year.

"As Sentosa is surrounded by water, the presence of these semi-aquatic mammals can be expected at the coastal areas, and we welcome them as an integral part of our island's wildlife," he said.

The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) received 31 instances of feedback on otters, mostly about sightings, in the whole of Singapore from January last year to June this year.

Only a small number were on nuisance issues, such as the loss of fish from private ponds to animal attacks.

A spokesman said that inspections were conducted at the affected households and the residents were advised to take preventive measures. They include covering the fish ponds with netting or erecting a small barrier around them.

AVA added that the Otter Working Group, comprising AVA, National Parks Board, PUB, NUS, Animal Concerns Research and Education Society, Wildlife Reserves Singapore and members of OtterWatch, is working on solutions to otter issues, including those in Sentosa.