Giant river otter baby among 400 animal babies born at WRS parks this year

Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS) has welcomed its newest addition, the giant river otter baby at the River Safari.

This year alone, WRS said it saw more than 400 animal babies born between January and August.

Other animals born in Jurong Bird Park, Night Safari, River Safari and Singapore Zoo this year include the orang utan, manatee, Malayan tapir, tree frog and sloth.

The yet to be named male pup was born on Aug 10 and now weighs 1.6kg and measures 60cm. Giant otters can grow up to 1.8m and weigh up to 34kg.

Found only in South American river systems, giant otters are ferocious predators that hunt piranhas, anacondas and even caimans, earning them the title "river wolves". They are often hunted for their fur and threatened by habitat loss, these river giants are now amongst the rarest otters in the world.

River Safari is the first zoological institution in Asia to feature the endangered giant river otter, the largest of the world's 13 otter species.

maryanns@sph.com.sg