SINGAPORE – Ms Audrey Wong first noticed something was awry when bananas went missing from the kitchen of her Bukit Timah home on April 21.
“We also heard noises coming from the kitchen at night, but we didn’t see anything unusual,” the 50-year-old professional told The Straits Times on May 2, adding that the family thought a rat had taken the bananas initially.
Ms Wong explained that rats would enter the house once in a long while, but they do not pose a big issue, and the family usually set up traps when they notice rats around.
After bananas went missing again, Ms Wong proceeded to set up a trap on April 27 to catch a rat – only to be shocked the next morning when she found a civet cat in the trap.
“The civet was quite big, and it was hissing at us from inside the cage, which was quite scary,” Ms Wong recalled.
As there are vast forested areas near her home and in the wider Bukit Timah area, residents are no stranger to wildlife in the area.
“I see squirrels, green parrots, hornbills, kingfishers and monkeys in the back garden occasionally,” said Ms Wong, who has lived in her home for 30 years.
However, it was the first time she encountered a common palm civet, and she was not sure how to approach the animal, which she estimated to be between 40cm and 50cm long.
