A little otter pup in Singapore was recently spotted with a large fishing lure hooked around its mouth and paw.

The four-month-old pup belongs to the Zouk family, which does not have a territory of its own, unlike the Bishan and Marina otter families.

Instead, they are often seen navigating various urban areas.

The injured pup was seen with its family at the Singapore River on Feb. 3.

Videos posted online showed the otter limping due to the awkward position of its paw that also made movement difficult.

Trapping operation

Chun Kit Soo, a long-time otter watcher, identified the pup as a Zouk family member.

Photos he snapped provided a better look at how the otter was ensnared by the lure.

Volunteers from local otter community group Ottercity had noticed the injured pup as well. The group shared that the otter pup was crying out for days due to the pain.

ACRES' co-CEO Kalai Vanan told Mothership that volunteers first waited to see if the situation would resolve on its own, and subsequently decided to carry out a rescue operation on Feb. 2 to free the otter from the lure.

Ottercity told Mothership that volunteers took turns to go down to help out with the operation. Kalai added that members from the Otter Working Group, NParks, ACRES and PUB were involved as well.

It took 12 hours to search for, separate the otter pup from its family, and trap it. The process was a complicated one as the pup was closely guarded by adults, and several attempts were initially futile.

During the trapping, the lure was forcefully dislodged from the otter's mouth after it got caught on the net.

Kalai shared that this initially caused some distress to the pup as it was dragging the net along, but with help from all parties involved, the net and hook were removed.

Following this, Ottercity revealed that the pup was separated from its family in the water and could not be located.

The group subsequently updated on Feb. 3 that the pup was observed to have been reunited with its family.

They are currently awaiting photos and videos to check on its wound, and will continue to monitor its recovery.

Here's Ottercity's summary of events, in two parts.

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=898167604165568&extid=NS-UNK-UNK-UNK-IOS_GK0T-GK1C&ref=sharing

Discarded fishing hooks and lines can pose danger to animals and humans

The Singapore River is not among the places PUB listed where fishing is permitted.

However, the lure could have originated from anglers at other water bodies, or been attached to a fish which the otter pup might have consumed.

PUB has also previously advised anglers to fish responsibly and to discard their fishing hooks and lines properly.

Small bins where anglers can discard their used fishing lines and hooks have been installed at various reservoirs around Singapore.

In September 2020, a four-month-old otter pup died after a fishing hook was lodged in her throat.

This was despite efforts by the National Parks Board (NParks) and ACRES staff to trap her and bring her to a veterinarian.

The discarded materials can pose a danger not only to wildlife in the area, but to people as well.

Top photo courtesy of Chun Kit Soo