 Otters spotted in Jurong Lakeside Park | |
| Other name(s) | Bishan 5, Bishan 10 |
|---|---|
| Species | Lutrogale perspicillata |
| Residence | |
The Bishan Otter Family, also known as the Bishan 10 [1] and previously known as the Bishan 5, [2] is a family of smooth-coated otters that reside in Marina Bay, Singapore. The otters have become a popular attraction since they were first spotted in 2014. [1] [3] [4]
The Bishan otter family were first sighted at Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park in 2014. [5] Originally dubbed the "Bishan 5", the otter family gained national attention in 2015 when the National Parks Board uploaded pictures and videos of them on their Facebook page. [6] That same year, the Bishan otter family relocated to Marina Bay after chasing out another otter family that had been living there. [7] They became known as the "Bishan 10" after the birth of five new pups in 2016. [2]
The smooth-coated otter is currently classified as a critically endangered species in Singapore, and until 1998 there had been no reported sightings since the 1970s. [1] [3] [5] The emergence of the Bishan otter family, along with several other otter families, was noted by The Economist as a reflection of the success of Singapore's greening policy, which included a notable increase in water quality. [3]
The otter family starred in the David Attenborough documentary Wild City and their exploits are frequently covered by the Singapore media. [1] In 2016, the otter family was voted by The Straits Times readers to represent Singapore on her 51st birthday, beating Singlish, the thumbdrive (which was allegedly invented by a Singaporean company), the Singapore passport and the Caméra d'Or-winning Singaporean film Ilo Ilo . [8] They also had received other international press coverage from the French magazine Terre Sauvage. [9]
On 7 August 2023, the otter Family was featured as a doodle on the Google search engine's home page. The doodle depicted five otters huddled up against a backdrop of Marina Bay Sands. [10] [11]
The Bishan otter family had been involved in several fights with another otter family, dubbed the Marina otter family by the local media. [12] In 2015, the Bishan otters relocated to Marina Bay after chasing out the Marina otter family. [7] Another clash between the two otter families resulted in the death of a Marina otter pup. [12] On 11 June 2017, members of the public intervened to protect the Marina otters from their Bishan rivals by scaring the latter off with loud noises. The incident sparked an internet debate concerning human intervention in fights between the two otter families. [12]
There have been reports of wild otters, including the Bishan otters, being injured by illegal fishing activities in Singapore. [13] In January 2017, a female otter believed to be one of the Bishan otters was found with a fishing line and hook embedded in its body. [14] In April 2017, another otter, also thought to be one of the Bishan otters, was injured when a fishing hook became entangled in one of its front paws. [13]
On 14 June 2017, a suspected member of the Bishan otter family was found dead in an illegal fishing trap along the Marina Promenade. The Public Utilities Board stated that they would take enforcement action against the man caught setting up the traps. [15]
The North–South Line (NSL) is a high-capacity Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line in Singapore, operated by SMRT Corporation. Coloured red on the Singapore rail map, the line is 45 kilometres (28 mi) long and serves 27 stations, 11 of which, between the Bishan and Marina South Pier stations, are underground. It runs from Jurong East station, located in Western Singapore, to Marina South Pier station in the Central Area, via Woodlands station in northern Singapore. The line operates for almost 20 hours a day, with headways of up to 1 to 2 minutes during peak hours and 5 to 8 minutes during off-peak hours. All the trains on the North–South Line run with a six-car formation.
The Circle Line (CCL) is a medium-capacity Mass Rapid Transit line in Singapore. It runs in a loop from Dhoby Ghaut station in the city-centre to HarbourFront station in the south via Bishan station in the centre of the country. It also has a branch to Marina Bay station from Promenade station, which will be extended to HarbourFront station from 2026 to form a complete loop. Coloured orange on the rail map, the fully-underground line is approximately 35.5 kilometres (22.1 mi) long with 30 stations. Travelling from one end of the line to the other takes about an hour.
Ang Mo Kio is a planning area and residential town situated in the North-East region of Singapore. Located approximately 11 km (6.8 mi) north of the Downtown Core district, Ang Mo Kio is the 3rd most populated planning area in the North-East region and ranks 8th in terms of population in the country overall. The planning area is located at the south-western corner of the North-East region, bordered by the planning areas of Yishun to the north, Sengkang to the north-east, Serangoon to the east, Bishan to the south and the Central Water Catchment to the west.
Kallang is a planning area and residential zone located in the Central Region of Singapore.
Bishan, also known as Peck San, Bishan New Town or Bishan Town, is a planning area and matured residential town located at the northernmost portion of the Central Region of Singapore. Statistically, the area is ranked the 38th biggest in terms of geographical size and the 22nd most populated planning area in the country. It is located at the most Central point of Singapore, and it comprises Upper Thomson, Marymount, Shunfu, Sin Ming, Bishan North and Bishan East. There are also many private residential properties in Bishan. Bishan is ranked 15th in terms of population density. Apart from its boundary with the Central Water Catchment in the west, Bishan borders three other planning areas: Ang Mo Kio to the north, Toa Payoh to the south, and Serangoon to the east.
Bishan MRT station is a Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) interchange station on the North–South (NSL) and Circle (CCL) lines in Bishan, Singapore. The station is located along Bishan Road within the town centre; it is integrated with Junction 8 shopping centre and is close to Bishan Bus Interchange. Nearby schools include Raffles Institution, Catholic High School, and Kuo Chuan Presbyterian Primary and Secondary Schools.
Marina Bay MRT station is an underground Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) interchange station on the North South (NSL), Circle (CCL) and Thomson–East Coast (TEL) lines in Singapore. Located in the Downtown Core district near Marina Bay, the station serves the Marina One Residences, Marina Bay Suites and the Marina Bay Financial Centre.
Ang Mo Kio Bus Interchange is located in Ang Mo Kio Town Centre, Singapore. The interchange is within AMK Hub which is in turn linked to Ang Mo Kio MRT station via a pedestrian underpass below Ang Mo Kio Avenue 8. The interchange was opened by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
The Singapore River is a river that flows parallel to Alexandra Road and feeds into the Marina Reservoir in the southern part of Singapore. The immediate upper watershed of the Singapore River is known as the Singapore River Planning Area, although the western part of the watershed is classified under the River Valley planning area.
Promenade MRT station is an underground Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) interchange station on the Downtown (DTL) and Circle (CCL) lines in Downtown Core, Singapore. Located underneath Temasek Avenue and adjacent to Millenia Tower, the station serves several key attractions and locations such as Suntec City and the Marina Promenade, which the station is named after. The station is at the junction of the Dhoby Ghaut and Marina Bay branches of the CCL.
Bishan Depot or is a depot located on the Mass Rapid Transit in Bishan, Singapore. It was completed in 1986 by American architect Vikas M. Gore and the 12,000 square metres maintenance area at cost of S$300 million.
Josephine Teo Li Min is a Singaporean politician who has been serving as Minister for Communications and Information, and Second Minister for Home Affairs since 2017. She is also serving as Minister-in-charge of the Cyber Security Agency and Smart Nation Initiative since 2021. A member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), she has been the Member of Parliament (MP) representing the Kreta Ayer–Kim Seng division of Jalan Besar GRC since 2020.
Intan Azura binte Mokhtar is a former Singaporean politician. A member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), she was the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Jalan Kayu division in Ang Mo Kio GRC between 2011 and 2020.
David Darryl Wilson, often known as Darryl David, is a Singaporean politician. A member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), he has been the Member of Parliament (MP) representing the Ang Mo Kio–Hougang division of Ang Mo Kio GRC since 2015.
The following lists events that happened during 2016 in the Republic of Singapore.
Louis Ng Kok Kwang is a Singaporean politician and animal and environmental activist. A member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), he has been the Member of Parliament (MP) representing the Nee Soon East division of Nee Soon GRC since 2015. He is also the founder of ACRES.
The Bishan MRT tunnel flooding was a major incident on the North South MRT line (NSL) of the Singapore MRT which occurred at 5.33 pm on 7 October 2017. The flooding of the tunnels between the Bishan and Braddell MRT stations was caused by heavy rain and a faulty maintenance pump. The flooding completely blocked the tunnel, and bus services had to be deployed while the Singapore Civil Defence Force and maintenance staff removed the water from the tunnel. The incident caused more than S$2 million in damages and lost revenue for the operator SMRT and led to the firing of eight maintenance employees.
Wong Kah Chun, also known as Kahchun Wong, is a Singaporean conductor.
Chong Kee Hiong is a Singaporean politician and accountant who has been serving as Treasurer of the PAP Community Foundation since 2020. A member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), he has been the Member of Parliament (MP) representing the Bishan East division of Bishan–Toa Payoh GRC since 2015.
