Singapore's smooth-coated otter population reached at least 170 animals living in 17 groups by early 2021, according to Space Daily. The figure marks a rise from 2017, when the count stood at 79 otters in 11 groups.
Space Daily traces the recovery to 1998, when a resident pair of smooth-coated otters returned to Sungei Buloh. That wetland site is where the renewed presence of the species in Singapore began, per the outlet's reporting.
The numbers reported by Space Daily describe a steady increase over roughly four years, with both the total number of otters and the number of distinct groups growing between 2017 and early 2021. The 2017 count recorded 79 animals in 11 groups; the early 2021 count recorded at least 170 animals in 17 groups.
Space Daily did not, in the material available, detail the methods used for either count or the reasons behind the change. The reporting also did not specify how the groups are distributed across the island, beyond the 1998 return at Sungei Buloh.
What to watch next: whether later surveys confirm the upward trend, and how the growing number of groups affects monitoring and management of the species in Singapore.