Singapore's Wild Year: Animal Stories That Captivated The Nation In 2024
You've heard of Moo Deng the pygmy hippo and Pesto the penguin. But, do you remember these animals who became news sensations in Singapore this year?
Nature photographer rescues fluffy owlet that fell from nest
Two words: BABY OWLS. So cute, right?!
That's probably what everyone thought when a pair of Sunda scops owlets were spotted at Telok Blangah on 5 May.
Despite the area around the tree being cordoned off by NParks on 7 May, as well as a statement being issued by the the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres) urging the public not to crowd the owlets' nesting site, the crowd of curious onlookers at the nesting site continued to grow larger.
On 8 May at around 2 am, one of the nesting owlets fell out of its nest onto the ground below.
Fortunately, a few nature photographers who were still onsite helped to rescue the owlet and return it to its nest.
Do remember that while baby owls can be cute, they're also wild animals that need their space and privacy to avoid stressing them out.
Monitor lizards apparently have no qualms about going wherever they please – and no sense of shyness about PDA either, it seems.
On 5 July, two monitor lizards that were extremely enamoured with each other wandered into Bayfront MRT station and began to... ahem... make out rather vigorously.
When officers from Acres arrived to handle the situation, they were initially hesitant to interrupt the lizards' mating session.
Eventually, the stares from the crowd of curious onlookers proved to be too much of an audience for the love-lizards, prompting them to separate and hide behind the station's mirror panels.
After approximately 30 minutes of careful manoeuvring, the Acres officers managed to safely contain both lizards before releasing them outside, allowing them to run off into the sunset together and find a quieter place to make out.
Photographers stop man from taking away baby parrot that fell from tree
More baby birds? You bet!
This time, the stars of the show are parrots; specifically, a family of red-breasted parakeets, comprising two adult birds and at least three chicks.
Their nest was first spotted on 12 October at Bukit Merah, with nature photographers of all ages flocking to the site for a glimpse of these adorable beauties (pun fully intended).
Although there were an estimated 30+ photographers on the scene, they remained mindful of both the birds and the nearby residents, maintaining a safe distance from the tree and keeping as quiet as possible.
Then, at around 4 pm on 21 October, one of the fledgling red-breasted parakeets flew out of the nest, only to fall to the ground in its attempt to fly.
A man nearby, who reportedly wasn't one of the nature photographers, proceeded to pick the bird up and attempt to walk away with it.
Fortunately, he was stopped by a few of the photographers who were onsite. After they threatened to call the police on him, he eventually placed the fledgling on the ground and walked away.
One of the photographers then took the fledgling and placed it back in its nest... upon which it made another attempt to fly and promptly crashed into another tree.
At this point, another one of the photographers called Acres, partly to rescue the bird properly, and partly because the attempted bird thief was still lurking at a nearby hawker centre.
Acres officers arrived on the scene and placed the stubborn fledgling high up in the tree canopy to keep it safe for the night.
Poaching or otherwise keeping possession of wild birds is illegal. Under the Wildlife Act, those who keep wildlife can be fined up to $10,000 and/or jailed up to 6 months.
If the wildlife in question is from a protected species, the penalties are accordingly harsher, with a fine of up to $50,000 fine and/or two years' jail.
Life is tough when you're a monkey. Don't you just want to get away from it all sometimes?
A 14-year-old male African monkey from the Singapore Zoo certainly did.
6 months ago, when the social dynamics of his troop changed, the black-and-white colobus, named Mykel, used a connecting pole to cross the perimeter fence at the zoo's Primate Kingdom exhibit, fleeing the group to avoid confrontation.
While an extensive search was conducted after Mykel's escape, he was only recaptured and returned to the zoo on 1 November, after having been spotted at Villa Verde Park in Choa Chu Kang the previous day.
A member of the public who spotted Mykel called the Acres rescue hotline, which subsequently informed Mandai Wildlife Group for them to deploy their animal care and veterinary team to recapture the monkey.
With assistance from NParks personnel, their efforts were finally successful at around 1.30 pm on 1 November, with Mykel being tranquilised and landing safely in a net that had previously been set up.
Mykel's escape route has since been fixed to prevent further escapes, and the animal care staff have intervened to stabilise the social grouping of the troop, along with receiving additional training on recognising early signs of social changes and staging intervention.
The monkeys' (attempted) holiday
In other monkey-related news, it seems that even our primate friends can catch the travel bug during the holiday season.
On 3 December, two macaques were spotted wandering around various areas within Changi Airport Terminal 2. Various airport staff members attempted to barricade the primates' path using implements like poles and cleaning boards.
One TikTok video showed a staff member attempting to shoo one of the monkeys away from the check-in area with a broom - apparently, it didn't have a ticket to fly. Undaunted, the monkey stayed put and refused to budge.
Another clip showed a different staff member politely directing one of the monkeys towards the exit, as though escorting a visitor to their destination. Surprisingly, the monkey actually follows her directions.
Amusingly, when it attempts to deviate from its path, the staff member can be seen mouthing "No, no, no" and waving her hands before pointing at the exit.
This isn't the first time that monkeys have paid a visit to Changi Airport. In 2018, a long-tailed macque was spotted walking across a narrow, high structure in Terminal 3 before it was eventually sedated and relocated for its safety.
Guess it goes to show that Changi Airport truly is a prime destination for visitors!
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