Otters seen running through Khatib MRT ‘must have taken the Mandai shuttle bus’

SINGAPORE: It’s not unusual to see otters around Singapore, and they’ve been spotted in places as diverse as near the Istana at Orchard Road, or, more commonly and less benignly, victimising people’s beloved (not to mention expensive) koi.

A recent otter sighting took place at the Khatib MRT station. A local Reddit user was luckily able to record three of the sleek little animals running around the station before they disappeared into some nearby greenery and uploaded it on the platform on Wednesday (Oct 1).

Otters running through Khatib MRT!
byu/Remote_Fisherman_469 insingapore

Many Reddit users commenting on the post were charmed and poked fun at the incident.

“They must have taken the Mandai shuttle bus,” one joked.

“Maybe they are rushing to catch the Mandai Zoo bus to see their siblings!” quipped another.

A Reddit user wrote, “Japan has their nara deer and snow monkeys. We have our bourgeois ornamental pet fish obliterating otters!!!”

Of course, there were a slew of MRT-related jokes, including one that read “New management brought in to run the MRT,” and another that said they “got tired of waiting for the train… faster to run.”

“Well, clearly they know where they’re going. They’re not loitering, they’re not bothering passersby, and they’re not being delayed by the trains breaking (again). Let the otters go about their ottery business,” another wrote.

One commenter was able to relate the otter sighting to F1, of all things: “They are finding their way to the Singapore Grand Prix this Saturday.”

Another, however, warned others to be careful, writing: “Dude should give them more space. Some guy spooked the bunch of them a couple of years back. Suffered bites and scratches all over. Nothing too serious, but still, give ’em space.”

A commenter shared this observation: “This whole post, including the comments, is such a Singapore moment.

It has otters, the MRT, people complaining about the otters, people saying they are cute, people saying they are dangerous, people saying they are too fat, and people joking about the MRT.

It’s just the perfect summary of our online zeitgeist.”

Otters are well-loved in Singapore, even if they can sometimes cause a significant amount of destruction to people’s prized goldfish, run after, or even bite people.

Seeing them doing ottery things usually melts even the hardest hearts, and the truth is, enough Singaporeans care about these critters that when they are injured, such as when parts of their bodies get caught in fishhooks, it’s a cause for concern.

Read also: Otter with fishhook in its paw needs help; if you see her, let the OtterWatch community know