A lone otter spotted at Khoo Teck Puat Hospital on July 18, 2019, has passed away.

Emaciated lone otter in Khoo Teck Puat Hospital

According to a Facebook post by OtterWatch, the otter watching group was alerted by several members of the public about an otter looking "lonely" and incredibly emaciated.

While lone otters are not uncommon, some otter watchers and Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres) decided to check on this otter, which was possibly unwell.

According to the deputy chief executive, Kalai Vanan, preliminary findings showed that the otter's upper canine was broken and infected which caused it to hurt so bad that it cannot hunt, leading to its emaciated state.

Here are some photos taken in the afternoon when a passerby spotted it resting on the grass patch by the walkway:

Passed away

Acres made three trips down to find the otter.

It was found to have difficulties breathing and wasn't responsive during the second trip at around 8.15pm.

That prompted the team to head back to collect the equipment to trap the otter for treatment.

Upon their return to the hospital, the otter had already left that spot.

Fortunately, two nursing students found the otter and stayed with it till Acres and other volunteers arrived at around midnight.

Sadly, the otter did not react well to sedation.

Community effort

While the otter passed away, the incident also showed a concerted effort by otter-loving volunteers, Acres and members of the public in caring for otters.

The post thanked Singaporeans for taking pictures of the otters and staying with them all the way.

It helped the rescue team to monitor and get to the otter the soonest possible.

The post also gave credit to Acres for working tirelessly to help wildlife in Singapore.

Here's the full post:

Top photo collage from OtterWatch and Gopal Krishnan JP