Zouk otter family

The Zouk family, or Zouk group, was a Singaporean otter family formed by a male from the Marina family and two females from the Bishan otter family. They were named after the Zouk nightclub, which they lived near in late 2018. The family grew in size over the next few years, coming into conflict with other otter families in Singapore's central watershed. The subordinate original female left the family before 2020. The original male was forced out of the family in June 2024, and his mate died shortly afterwards. The group may have broken up following the loss of the original pair.

The Zouk family was very tolerant of human presence, even for otters in Singapore. They gained attention for what was seen as a nomadic lifestyle, regularly moving between small and sometimes artificial water bodies, often over land. This may have been due to conflict with other otter families who occupied major waterways in the area. The family was unusually quick to withdraw from confrontations, sometimes without even making vocalisations. The family was filmed for three weeks as part of a BBC Wildlife documentary that aired in 2024.

History

"Watch out for otters crossing" paper sign taped in front of a pedestrian footbridge crossing a river, elevated above the grassy bank
The Zouk family was named while living under the Jiak Kim Bridge

The Zouk family was named in late 2018 due to being first identified living under the Jiak Kim Bridge, which was near the Zouk nightclub. At the time it was a family of six.[1][2] The adult male, who was the father of the initial pups, likely came from the well-known Marina family when that family was living in Kampong Java Park.[3] The adult female who became the mother of the pups was from the Bishan otter family. The two became known as Zouk dad and Zouk mum.[4] The second of the original adult females, known as Zouk Aunt, was the sister of Zouk mum and also from the Bishan family.[5]

The family later moved to the Singapore Botanic Gardens.[2] From the Singapore Botanic Gardens the Rochor River may have provided a means of travel.[3] The three adults and three juveniles were seen in June 2019 on Anson Road in the Downtown Core, possibly having found their way there through drains or canals.[6] Later that month, Zouk Aunt went missing, while Zouk mum was seen with injuries.[7] One pup was observed left alone in 2019, and died of starvation.[8]: 503  Their travels brought them through territory also used by the Bishan family and the Marina family.[9]

Likely in a further search for a new home range, in early 2020 they were seen in a variety of urban locations in Singapore, including a condominium pool in the Newton area, the Tan Tock Seng Hospital, a petrol station on Bukit Timah Road, the pavement and road near the Mustafa Centre,[1] and the KK Women's and Children's Hospital. This last hospital is near the Kampong Java Park that the father is thought to have come from, although it had closed in 2018.[3] Some of these areas were a significant distance from bodies of water.[10] Most were in the central watershed, although they were observed at least once further west.[8]: 502  The family were occasionally seen in the Singapore River and the Bishan–Ang Mo Kio Park/Kallang River, however they generally avoided large water bodies.[8]: 501  Their entry into Bishan–Ang Mo Kio Park brought them into conflict with the resident Marina family.[11]

By 2020 Zouk Aunt had left the family and lived together with a mate.[8]: 501  Over time the pair had four pups. Two were killed in otter fights in 2021, while a third was killed by traffic in 2022. Zouk Aunt died of an infection at seven years old in October 2023.[5]

In December 2020 Zouk mum and her daughter "Flowerhead" lactated at the same time, jointly supporting seven pups. It is unknown whether the pups were born to one or both of them.[12]: 288  This was the largest number of pups known from any family during this period.[8]: 500  This allomothering may be an adaptation to the urban environment, which contains substantial food.[12]: 289  By 2022 the group had reached 14 members.[13] In 2021, a tourist was attacked by otters at the Botanic Gardens. The otters involved are thought to have been the Zouk family. This was an unprecedentedly aggressive otter attack in Singapore, possibly triggered by a human runner approaching the otters.[14]

The family was filmed for three weeks for the 2024 BBC documentary Mammals narrated by David Attenborough. This filming caught the separation of one member of the family from the rest by a road. The solo otter was filmed moving between regular family haunts, before finally reuniting with the others.[15] The 14 members of the family were first observed by the film crew emerging from The Istana.[16]

In June 2024 the original male of the group was forced out, likely by an external male. The original mother was absent from the family in the following days, being last seen by observers on 21 June. She was found dead on 28 June, not far from the remaining family, having lived about eight years.[4][17] Zouk mum's death was assessed as being due to natural causes.[18] Both the Zouk dad and Zouk mum were observed with injuries in the preceding weeks, possibly due to fights with external otters observed trailing the family. After both left the family, a new otter was observed with the family.[19] Zouk dad was observed in July 2024 alone at the Botanic Gardens, with several injuries.[20] The remaining family of 17 otters may have broken apart following the loss of their founding pair.[17]

Lifestyle

Their movement during this time has been described as "nomadic", between small water bodies such as ponds and travelling along roads. It is possible that the Zouk group had attempted to move into larger waterways, but were rebuffed by other families.[8]: 504  The central watershed was also occupied by the Bishan family, Marina family, and Singapore Gardens family, who, unlike the Zouk family, had established core territories in large bodies of water.[8]: 501  Observations in 2020 found that the Zouk group was the only otter family studied to quickly withdraw from fights. They were observed multiple times approaching another group, but then retreating without even offering any vocalisation. They were the only family to display such withdrawal tendencies.[8]: 501 

During the filming of the BBC documentary, the film crew noted individual personalities among the family, including that the Zouk dad usually crossed roads first, while the Zouk mum kept track of the wider family. The group's territorial patrols meant they regularly moved through areas with people, to which they showed little notice.[16] One member of Singapore's Otter Working Group stated in 2022 that the Zouk family was the most human-tolerant of all of Singapore's otter families.[21]

Zouk adults have been observed teaching pups to hunt, pushing fish towards the shoreline. The time spent carrying out such teaching significantly reduced the hunting productivity of the adults.[22] The popular family was viewed as strongly bonded with each other. The Ottercity otter watching group referred to Zouk mum as having found "a soulmate" in the Zouk dad.[17]

References

  1. 1 2 Zhangxin Zheng (25 April 2020). "Otter family checks out Mustafa Centre after visits to Bukit Timah petrol station & Newton condo". Mothership. Archived from the original on 18 July 2026. Retrieved 23 June 2026.
  2. 1 2 Cherlynn Ng (12 March 2020). "Otters have splashing good time with a feast in fish ponds at Botanic Gardens". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 19 July 2026. Retrieved 18 July 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 Fasiha Nazren (9 May 2020). "Otter family spotted at KK Women's & Children's Hospital, security guard ushers them to safety". Mothership. Archived from the original on 18 July 2026. Retrieved 23 June 2026.
  4. 1 2 Seri Mazliana (29 June 2024). "Beloved Zouk otter mum dies after going missing". Mothership. Archived from the original on 18 July 2026. Retrieved 18 July 2026.
  5. 1 2 Jeremy Lee (23 October 2023). "Zouk Aunt Passes Away Years After Leaving Main Otter Family, Mourned By Local Community". MSNews. Archived from the original on 18 July 2026. Retrieved 18 July 2026.
  6. ↑ Zhangxin Zheng (13 June 2019). "Otters caught in typical S'pore CBD traffic during morning peak hour". Mothership. Archived from the original on 19 July 2026. Retrieved 23 June 2026.
  7. ↑ Zhangxin Zheng (25 June 2019). "Mother in Zouk otter family suffers head injuries while aunt goes missing". Mothership. Archived from the original on 19 July 2026. Retrieved 23 June 2026.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Anusha Shivram; N. Sivasothi; Chia-Da Hsu; Karen E. Hodges (1 March 2023). "Population distribution and causes of mortality of smooth-coated otters, Lutrogale perspicillata, in Singapore". Journal of Mammalogy. 104 (3): 496–508. doi:10.1093/jmammal/gyad007. Archived from the original on 24 April 2025. Retrieved 19 July 2026.
  9. ↑ Goh Yan Han (30 May 2019). "Otters spotted in Bukit Timah; group fled from Singapore River home due to Bishan otters". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 18 July 2026. Retrieved 18 July 2026.
  10. ↑ Ashley Tan (13 March 2020). "Otter family visits healthcare workers at Tan Tock Seng Hospital". Archived from the original on 18 July 2026. Retrieved 23 June 2026.
  11. ↑ Zhangxin Zheng (14 May 2020). "7 Zouk otters intrude 10 Marina otters' territory at Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park, fight ensues". Mothership. Archived from the original on 19 July 2026. Retrieved 23 June 2026.
  12. 1 2 Haaken Zhong Bungum; Mei-Mei Heng Yee Tan; Atul Borker; Chia Da Hsu; Philip Johns (19 January 2022). "Observations of multiple reproductive females in groups of smooth-coated otters". Ethology. 128 (3): 285–291. doi:10.1111/eth.13263. eISSN 1439-0310. ISSN 0179-1613.
  13. ↑ Belmont Lay (18 April 2022). "S'pore otter family can't enter condo as fat ones keep getting stuck at gate grilles". Mothership. Archived from the original on 18 July 2026. Retrieved 18 July 2026.
  14. ↑ Dominic Low; Nadine Chua (9 December 2021). "'I actually thought I was going to die': Man who was attacked by otters at Botanic Gardens". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 19 July 2026. Retrieved 19 July 2026.
  15. ↑ John Lui (5 April 2024). "Singapore and its otters feature in new BBC Earth documentary series Mammals". Archived from the original on 18 July 2026. Retrieved 18 July 2026.
  16. 1 2 Lydia Baines (4 April 2024). "Filming Singapore's city otters". BBC One. Archived from the original on 19 July 2026. Retrieved 18 July 2026.
  17. 1 2 3 Sarah Koh (28 June 2024). "Matriarch of Zouk otter family found dead in Potong Pasir canal after going missing". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 19 July 2026. Retrieved 18 July 2026.
  18. ↑ Seri Mazliana (3 July 2024). "Zouk otter mum likely died due to natural causes: NParks". Mothership. Archived from the original on 19 July 2026. Retrieved 18 July 2026.
  19. ↑ Ong Su Mann (30 June 2024). "'Otter Game Of Thrones': Zouk Mum and Dad had injuries before going missing, then she's found dead". Stomp. Archived from the original on 18 July 2026. Retrieved 18 July 2026.
  20. ↑ Kim Tan (4 July 2024). "'Frail & alone': Father of otter family 'Zouk Dad' spotted on 3 July with injuries". MSNews. Archived from the original on 19 July 2026. Retrieved 18 July 2026.
  21. ↑ Kolette Lim; Ang Qing (17 April 2022). "Singapore residents split on views of otters as wildlife enthusiasts call for coexistence". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 19 July 2026. Retrieved 19 July 2026.
  22. ↑ Claire Turrell (10 March 2020). "Cheeky otters are thriving in Singapore—and adapting quickly to big city life". National Geographic. Archived from the original on 6 March 2021. Retrieved 6 February 2026.
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