'They're coming in through the roof': Bedok residents plagued by civets invading their homes

First it was otters sneaking into homes and eating koi fish. Now it seems civets have emerged and are causing a little bit of havoc as well. 

Some residents from Jalan Chempaka Puteh in Bedok have been plagued by civets sneaking into their homes, reported Shin Min Daily News on Monday (Nov 28). 

One of them, surnamed Su, told Shin Min he first noticed them in the neighbourhood in 2018, when he saw a dead civet at a carpark. 

"A few weeks later, I saw another one hiding in my home cabinet. I had to let it escape," said the 64-year-old teacher. 

From then on, civets have continued to enter his home, sneaking into the kitchen and trashing the place. 

To deal with the pesky animals, Su bought a cage to trap them two years ago. "I caught one in December 2020 and I called Acres (Animal Concerns Research and Education Society) for help," he said. 

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Last Saturday, Su said he caught the sixth civet in two years. "Every time I catch one, I'll take a 20-minute drive to Tanah Merah, where I let them go." 

Another resident, who gave her name as Patricia, told Shin Min that civets have sneaked into her home a few times over the years, stealing fruit and defecating in her living room. 

"They managed to get onto the roof by climbing on the antennas," said the 62-year-old housewife. 

Once, two civets fell through her ceiling after fighting on the roof. "(The civets) even ran up the bed and continued to fight. One of them eventually escaped through a window, while the other hid in the toilet." 

Chairman of the Chempaka residents' association Zhong Wuwei, told Shin Min that five or six residents have complained about civets breaking into their homes in the past two years. 

"I've informed the authorities, and they said we're not allowed to catch wild animals – but the residents are doing this (to protect their homes)," he added. 

Under the Wild Animals and Birds Act, it is an offence to intentionally feed, release, trap and kill wild animals.

Visit here for more information on civets and how you should deal with them if they enter your home.