Nurse’s family thinks home is haunted after bananas go missing — then discovers ‘thief’ in rat trap

The family was perplexed and set a rat trap, expecting to find a rat.

They were surprised to discover that the “banana thief” was actually a civet cat that had been sneaking into their home near Bukit Timah.

Ms Yap’s family called the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres) immediately, which arrived by 12pm, and assisted in releasing the animal.

“Human-wildlife encounters aren’t as simple as they seem,” said Ms Yap. “In places where wildlife naturally exists, these situations can happen more often than we expect.”

The Stomper added that the Yap family would be more mindful about closing all windows at night to prevent similar occurrences in the future – a more “humane and lasting” solution compared to trapping.

Acres: Releasing civet in same location is important

In response to a Stomp query, Acres’ chief executive Kalai Vanan Balakrishnan confirmed that the animal found in the Yap family’s trap was a common palm civet – a nocturnal animal native to Singapore that mainly feeds on fruits.

“Fortunately, the residents kindly allowed us to access the area, share some awareness, and safely release the animal back on-site,” Mr Kalai said.

He added that releasing the civet in the same location is important, as it may have a family nearby and is already familiar with its surroundings.

Ms Yap’s mother, Audrey Wong, told Stomp her family was grateful for Acres’ help and made a donation on the same day to support the organisation’s work and efforts.

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