It was my first time coming to Bukit Batok Nature Park and here was how my experience went!

I usually only came to places such as Bukit Timah and Botanical Gardens when I used to live on the west side of Singapore. At most, I would only see monkeys, wild pigs, chickens, and our local birds and insects. This would also occur during the morning, so seeing how these animals behave at night was truly an experience for me.

We have Uncle Tony as our main guide for the night and he was VERY knowledgable as he also came from an amazing background with tons of experiences in this area.

Everyone gathered at a car park nearby and our first lesson for the night was on how to use the flashlight properly! It may seem such common sense, yet we still learn new things every day. We thought about how you should place it beside your eye when shining light onto a distance as the reflection of the light from your eyes matters a lot.

After graduating from the technicalities of flashlight usage, we continued our walk and learnt new things about the kinds and structure of a tree and its history behind it. Uncle Sam also identified the trees quite easily and he thought us some of the characteristics to look out for such as the roots, colouring, texture, etc.

We also tried to spot animals that may be hiding behind or up high on a tree, away from human sight. Luckily we did find some! such as Lemurs, and LOTSA bugs and insects!

On 2 April 2022, I woke up at around 6am to prepare to meet an otter family. It was definitely a rare occasion for me to wake up at such timing, however meeting these adorable creatures made me feel very thrilled early in the morning.

All participants gathered at 7:30am near an area where supposedly the family resides to rest. Upon arriving, our dear otter friends woke up earlier than all of us and started their day early. I was expecting a chill walk and observe kind of day, but the otters said no! we must exercise and trek to track them down.

Our first activity was to observe that one medium hole that the otter family has made. It was mind-blowing that such hole could fit all 26 members. They do love to get snuggly! Beside it was a fresh track of their wastes. I definitely now know how an otter waste smells like! You could also see what is their diet like, as you can observe if it has fish bones or tails.

After familiarising with their habitat, we went for a good 15-20min walk towards where the otters are spotted. It was a very hot day but the fresh morning breeze and marina bay sands view was definitely a sight to see.

We spotted all 26 family members in a pond where they are having their first meal. I got to hear all sort of sounds such as fighting for a fish, the pups begging for food, and high pitch squeaking to gather everyone together if they are slowly moving. The adult have more high pitch sound, while the 3 pups have more of a deep grungy sound. I have observed that whenever they eat the fish, specifically in this case it was a catfish, you could hear the bones cracking sound as they devour the fish fully.

Once the otter family has moved on to their next location, they have unfortunately left one pup behind 😦 Our group was patient enough to witness how one of the parent came back for its pup as it makes sounds to call for help.

The otter family went on to the sea to eat more meals and we witnessed how they co-exist with us in urban areas. From stopping at the side before crossing a street as bicycles and passengers walk by to also being a good-indicator of clean water or good biodiversity as they can live at such areas.

To sum up our day, we had a discussion at the end to thoroughly explain what we have witnessed and things we could do if we ever encounter otters around. It was a pleasure meeting the bishan family and meeting like-minded people around. I hope to see them again!