Or “Tale the otters tell their pups”
We all know the legend that S’pore was called Singapura because FT Sang Nila Utama was told that the animal he saw when he landed here was a lion (“Singa” in Sanskrit). The animal had a red body, black head and a white breast. Strange lions in the olden days.
The otters say that he saw a big white-breast otter that got bloodied in a fight with his siblings. They bit him, causing a deep cut on his back. The wound was bigger than this.
(Injured pup photographed by Abel Yeo. Attempts are being made to catch and treat this pup.)
Blood streaked down his sides.
He was then seen by Sang Nila Utama.