Ottering Devastating

The only thing worst than an otter is 2 otters.

– Someone saw 3...😓

my mistake to underestimate the otters

This year started with the kind of drama that makes you wonder if the universe has a personal vendetta against you. First, there were family matters—delicate, emotional, and not something I’ll dive into here. Suffice it to say, it was a difficult time juggling emotions and responsibilities I never anticipated.  

Just when I thought things were settling down, nature decided to up the ante. Enter: the otters. Yes, otters. Those "adorable," fluffy, Instagram-worthy pests that everyone loves? Turns out, they’re also ruthless, fish-eating ninjas. After 40 years in this neighborhood, I never imagined I’d be waging war against wildlife. But here we are.  

The first otter attack was a gut punch. In one night, nearly my entire Dragon Eyes Pearlscale bloodline—a labor of love spanning almost two decades—was wiped out. Poof. Gone. It was like watching 20 years of work get flushed down the drain, except the drain was a gang of hyper-efficient aquatic predators.  


I didn’t have time to despair. I immediately stimulated my remaining Pearlscales to spawn, hoping to salvage what was left of the bloodline. Otters are protected by law in Singapore, so we can’t trap or retaliate against these pests in any way. To keep them out, I reinforced the pond perimeter with higher fences and weighed down the protective netting with heavy bricks. Then, a glimmer of hope. One week after the first attack, some of my fish spawned, and I collected the eggs. Maybe, just maybe, I could rebuild.  

Video recorded last month... All these RIP 😭😭😭

But the otters wasn’t done with me. The very next day, they returned. They scaled the higher fences, tore through the reinforced netting, and decimated my remaining breeding stock. It was like a bad sequel to a movie I never wanted to watch in the first place.  

a few beacon of hope...

So now, I’m back to the drawing board, thinking of better otter exclusion measures and hoping for the best with the last spawn. These eggs are my final shot at saving my Dragon Eyes Pearlscale bloodline. 

Maybe luck will be on my side, and they’ll escape the brink of extinction this time. But all good things must end someday. My creation will vanish eventually when I am too old to keep the bloodline alive. Yet, if they do disappear, it won’t be because I didn’t try while I still could.

So, here’s to hoping, persevering, and maybe praying for a few more miracles. Life’s challenges—whether family, otters, or both — can’t break you unless you let them. I’ve done everything I can. Now, it’s up to fate.