PUBLISHED ONJuly 19, 2024 5:05 AMByClaudia TanA sheltered walkway in Bukit Merah has become a hotspot for wildlife enthusiasts after a family of civets were spotted living there.
Maricel Cabanero, 39, told Shin Min Daily News that she first saw a photo of the civets at Block 129 Bukit Merah View on Facebook.
When she visited the block on Monday (July 15), she only managed to see one adult and one baby civet.
"I was not lucky that day," said the animal enthusiast.
Undeterred, Cabanero returned to the block the following evening with her friends. They caught sight of three adult civets and four of their babies foraging for food.
"When they were done at about 9pm, one of the babies had trouble climbing up the walkway's pillars to return to the nest," she said.
"The entire family was squeaking, which made me feel upset."
To help the baby civet, Cabanero and her friends used a branch to guide it back to its nest.
According to her, other wildlife enthusiasts waited for at least three hours in the area before they caught a glimpse of the civets.
Wildlife photography enthusiast Xiang Guoan (transliteration) told Shin Min that there are actually two civet hotspots in Bukit Merah.
The retiree said the animals usually appear at Blocks 123, 126, 128 and 129, as well as the nearby car park.
According to a Bukit Merah resident surnamed Lin, the civets have been living in the estate for more than a year.
Lin said that the civets might have chosen to build their nests at Bukit Merah, a quieter estate with older residents.
The civets mostly hide in the sheltered walkway during the day, and come out in the evening to look for food, Lin added.
"I watched one of them grow up. When it was just born, I thought it was a rats' nest instead," said Lin.
Another resident surnamed Wu said that the civets do not cause a disturbance. While the animals can be heard scuttling around the walkway at night, the noise doesn't wake anyone up, he told Shin Min.
"Some residents really love the civets. They will leave fruits out for them, and even toss the fruits up into the walkway ceiling for them."
In response to Shin Min's queries, a spokesperson from Acres said that civets are generally timid animals.
They can also adapt well to living in the city if there are fruit trees in the area.
Although it is okay to admire the civets from afar, the spokesperson cautioned members of the public not to feed them.
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claudiatan@asiaone.com
