By The Diary desk · Last verified 28 September 2026

Keep your distance, feed nothing, corner nothing, and skip the flash. Watch otters from about 10 metres away. If a monkey approaches, hide your food, avoid eye contact and back away slowly without running. With wild boars, move calmly away and leave any family with piglets well alone. If an animal is hurt, trapped, or has got into your home, call NParks’ Animal Response Centre on 1800-476-1600 or ACRES on 9783 7782.

Quick facts

• Watch otters from about 10 metres away, with no flash.
• With monkeys: hide your food, no eye contact, back away slowly.
• With wild boars: move away calmly and never corner one.
• Carry food and plastic bags inside your backpack on the trail.
• Removing wild animals yourself is illegal; call for help.
• NParks Animal Response Centre: 1800-476-1600. ACRES: 9783 7782.

Otters

Watch from a distance. Don’t touch, chase or feed them, don’t talk loudly, and don’t use flash photography. Keep your dog on a short leash. Otter watchers suggest staying at least 10 metres back, which is also a fine distance for photos. Chased otters may take you, or your child, for a predator and bite in self-defence.

Long-tailed macaques

The rule is no feeding and no contact. If macaques come close in the open, stop what you’re doing, put your food away, and back off slowly; don’t turn and run. Avoid sudden movements and direct eye contact, and never throw things at a monkey or try to hit it. If you have a small child with you, lifting them onto your shoulders makes you look bigger and can deter a monkey from approaching.

On the trail, keep food, drink and plastic bags inside your backpack. Macaques have learnt that bags and containers mean food, and they will try to snatch them.

Wild boars

Stay calm and move slowly away. Don’t approach, feed, corner or provoke one, and that includes using a camera flash. Boars are strong and fast, and the tusks of adult males can cause serious injuries. Females protect their young fiercely, so if you see adults with piglets, leave them alone. An NTU expert suggests keeping at least five metres from boars and macaques, because both move quickly.

Monitor lizards and snakes

Don’t touch, provoke or corner a monitor lizard; it may bite in self-defence. Around 70 species of snake live in Singapore, not all of them venomous, and most would rather avoid people. Keep your distance, keep children and pets away, and call for help if one is in your home. It is illegal to remove wild animals from the wild yourself.

Who do I call?

• NParks Animal Response Centre: 1800-476-1600, for wildlife in homes, injured animals and aggressive encounters.
• ACRES Wildlife Rescue Hotline: 9783 7782.
• NParks helpline: 1800-471 7300, for general queries in parks and reserves.

Why not feed them, just once?

Because once is how it starts. Fed animals learn to approach people, and feeding wildlife anywhere in Singapore can cost up to S$5,000. The nature reserve rules guide on this desk has the details.

The WahLiao Verdict

Give them room, give them nothing, and give them a way out. Most encounters end with the animal leaving first, if you let it.

Questions people ask

Are otters dangerous?

Not if left alone. They can bite if chased or cornered.

What if a monkey grabs my bag?

Let it go. Never hit a monkey or fight it for the bag.

Can I take photos?

Yes, from a distance and without flash.

Can I move a snake out of my garden myself?

No. Keep away from it and call NParks or ACRES.

Sources: NParks, Living with Nature handbook (2024); Public Service Division, unexpected wildlife encounters; Wonderwall.sg, what to do when you encounter wild animals; NSman on living alongside wildlife; NTU on wildlife on campus.

Read next: Nature Reserve Rules in Singapore · Singapore Weather by Month · Back to The Diary

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