Punggol otter pup dies from fishing hook lodged in throat

Within a short span of three months, the family of otters that made Punggol beach and Coney Island their home dwindled from a party strength of nine to just four.

The latest casualty is a four-month-old pup, found lifeless on the beach on Saturday morning (Sept 5) with a fishing hook in her throat.

Residents first spotted the injured pup days ago near Punggol beach with a fishing line hanging out of its mouth. 

Despite multiple days of collaborative efforts by the National Parks Board, the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (ACRES), and Ottercity, they were unable to trap and administer medical assistance to the agile creature.

When the pup was finally found, it was dead. 

ALSO READ: Injured 'mother' otter now free of fishing line

The hook — which spanned just over a centimetre in length — would have left the pup starving and in pain, local otter watch group Ottercity shared in a Facebook post last night.

They described the pain felt by the pup akin to having a fishbone lodged in the throat.

[embed]https://www.facebook.com/ottercity/posts/876568066451421[/embed]

This is not the first time a pup from the same family was injured by a fishing hook. Earlier in July, Ottercity uploaded a video which said another pup was caught by a double hook, which had pierced both its mouth and its front paw.

As Punggol's coastline is a popular fishing area, Ottercity pleaded for anglers to properly dispose of their hooks and take extra caution when wild animals stray close to their lines.

"Discarded hooks on the beach pose a danger not just to wildlife but humans too — children and beachcombers can easily get hurt," they wrote. "Fortunately, humans know how to get help. Wildlife do not."

The same otter family recently lost its mother while another three pups had gone missing.

[embed]https://www.facebook.com/ottercity/posts/855031441938417[/embed]

rainercheung@asiaone.com