In pictures_ Nature is thriving in locked-down Singapore—is it time to rethink the city in a garden_ _ News _ Eco-Business _ Asia Pacific

23/06/2020 In pictures: Nature is thriving in locked-down Singapore—is it time to rethink the city in a garden? | News | Eco-Business | Asia Pacific
Otters cruise down a canal in Singapore during Covid-19 lo…
“The Circuit Breaker period has meant less crowds and tra c which animals would avoid.
There is more space for otters in areas adjacent to the waterways,” said N Sivasothi, a senior
lecturer with the Department of Biological Sciences at the National University of Singapore,
and part of local otter conservation group Otterwatch.
But the increase in animal activity has tested Singapore’s ambition to become what the
country’s National Parks Board calls a “city in nature”. Last week, a local celebrity complained
that her expensive ornamental sh were eaten by otters, prompting a public discussion over
whether the mammals should be culled to control their numbers.
Sivasothi went on a local radio show to explain that while Singapore’s otter population has
increased since the 1990s, it has now stablised and reached what appears to be a threshold.
Culling would be a “primitive” reaction, he said.
The latest news on COVID-19 delivered to your inbox. Subscribe now.
Not Now
https://www.eco-business.com/news/in-pictures-nature-is-thriving-in-locked-down-singapore-is-it-time-to-rethink-the-city-in-a-garden/ 10/14