A family of murderous river otters has struck again, breaking into a private pond in Singapore to kill and eat 10 koi fish last week. Five more were left “maimed,” according to local outlet Mothership. The attack is the latest in a series of strikes that has left Singaporeans grappling with their love for the furry creatures, which have grown bolder over the course of the country’s strict lockdown measures, venturing down city streets and into private condos. A group of otters recently made it into a church and killed nearly 100 fish, quite literally leaving a trail of bodies in their wake.
Singapore is home to about 90 otters, split into 10 families. After a population resurgence decades ago, the country fell in love, naming the otter its animal mascot in 2016. It wasn’t until the pandemic that Singaporeans began to see the otters as a nuisance, and calls for culls began to circulate. Koi are expensive fish, with some selling for millions of dollars. Outfitting a pond habitat can cost even more. One resident likened the otters’ spree to the killing of “prized poodles.” He added, “I don’t think anybody would question that this is a real tragedy.”
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