Video of otter family reunion in Singapore garners 18m views, but netizens abroad point out how dirty beach is

It’s a heartbreaking scene — a wee otter pup stumbling around all alone looking for its family after getting separated. 

But thanks to the efforts of local animal welfare activists and otter watchers, the little critter was rescued and taken care of. The otter was eventually reunited with its family after its human helpers brought it back to a beach where its family is known to have taken residence.

The footage of the reunion proved to be touching enough to make it to The Dodo — the popular social media channel for inspirational animal stories — on Tuesday (Sept 1). 

The incident itself appeared to have taken place back in 2016 when the otter pup, named Toby, was rescued after it fell off a ledge into a canal near Fort Road and taken to Wildlife Reserves Singapore for treatment. It was then reunited with its pack, or better known as the Marina otter family. 

As moving as the episode was (it garnered over 18 million views), folks across the world were more preoccupied with one thing: how polluted the beach in Singapore was. 

[embed]https://www.facebook.com/334191996715482/videos/188360002416981/[/embed]

They’re not wrong, however. The footage showed more than a few plastic bottles strewn on the beach alongside other discarded items such as styrofoam blocks, fishing nets, footwear and even a large blue plastic barrel, among other litter. It was not a good look, and the folks made it known in the comments section. 

A Singaporean beach cleanup volunteer chimed in, explaining why Singapore’s beaches are vulnerable to washed-up trash from neighbouring countries. 

Just last month, the National Environment Agency (NEA) and National Parks Board (NParks) noted that the beach trash situation has increased dramatically during the south-west monsoon season. 

“The wind blows from the south or south-east between June and September, bringing an increased amount of flotsam from the immediate region, which accumulates on the shores of neighbouring countries and islands, including East Coast Park," said the agencies in a joint statement.

The NEA has since increased the frequency of cleaning operations, while more beach cleanup volunteer groups have been set up to tackle the debris. 

According to a comment on the Dodo post, the location where the Marina otter family was reunited was at Marina East Beach, where coastal cleanup volunteers managed to collect 13,601 pieces of debris, weighing a total of 1,608kg on Sept 17, 2016.

ilyas@asiaone.com