Back for seconds: Otters kill 10 arowanas in Bukit Timah home, after wiping out $20k worth of koi in 2022

More than a year after she had her fish mercilessly killed by otters, Tham Yuen Ying never thought history would repeat itself.

However, on Wednesday (Jan 17) at about 7am, eight otters broke into her residence in Bukit Timah once again and attacked 10 of the 16 arowanas in her fish pond.

Otters first struck her home in October 2022, decimating some $20,000 worth of koi. Back then, the family said they won't be rearing any more fish unless they are "sure the place is safe". 

Then in March 2023, she decided to get arowanas so she could continue her hobby of rearing fish. 

"We chose arowanas because they have a lot of bones, I thought the otters wouldn't like them," Tham explained. 

Tham's helper saw the otters attacking the arowanas that morning and tried to scare them off by yelling at them, but the otters were undeterred. 

"The otters didn't eat the fish, they just killed them. They gouged out their eyeballs and chewed off their fins," Tham said to Shin Min Daily News. 

Among the remaining six fishes that are still alive, Tham said that only two or three fishes are healthy.

The otters reportedly left the dead fish strewn around on the walkways outside Tham's home. 

Some were also found floating in the pond. 

Tham said that each arowana cost her about $1,000 — putting her total loss at $10,000. 

The devastated woman said that she would send the rest of the remaining fish to fisheries to prevent the otters from attacking again. 

Currently, Tham said she has no more plans to keep any more fish.

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yanning.soh@asiaone.com