Mum otter in S'pore CBD naps for 2 hours, realises pup still in old holt, rushes back for it

In what is perhaps the otter version of "Home Alone", a female adult otter in Singapore left her pup in the old holt and took a nap — only to realise two hours later who she was missing and managed to retrieve her offspring.

A photo depicting her maternal instincts kicking in was put up on Facebook by photographer, Tan Yong Lin.

The photo's caption described the scene that day and provided context as to what transpired before the female adult otter was sent scrambling with a pup in her mouth on the way to the new holt.

The photo was shot outside the Bank of China building at 4 Battery Road.

Moved pups to another holt & fell asleep

Tan wrote that the female adult otter was transporting her pups from one holt to another that day.

The female adult otter subsequently fell asleep.

Two hours later, she apparently "suddenly remembered" that she left a pup behind and started "calling loudly".

"Within minutes, she emerged with her pup in her jaws, rushing back to reunite it with the rest of the family," Tan added. "The otter pups do not struggle when they are being carried, going limp and allowing mom to do her work."

Photo from about a year ago

In response to Mothership's queries, Tan said the photo was not new but shot on May 17, 2024.

He has also uploaded it on Instagram.

He was on site for about six hours that day to follow this Singapore Botanic Gardens otter family.

The female adult otter was out for a swim that morning and she moved to a new holt after that.

There were four pups in total.

Tan said: "A few otter watchers and myself were counting the number of pups being moved and realised mum left one behind in the commotion."

Tan added that he has been following the family for five years.

All photos via Tan Yong Lin