Pets & Animals

The Otters of Singapore — and Other Unexpected Wildlife Thriving in Cities | Philip Johns | TED

Animal behavior expert Philip Johns introduces us to the vibrant urban environments of Singapore, where city dwellers and skyscrapers coexist with a rich array of other species, including otters, hornbills and lizards — prompting the question: Can we design cities to be wildlife refuges? (Recorded at TEDxYale NUS College on October 21, 2023) If you…

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Animal behavior expert Philip Johns introduces us to the vibrant urban environments of Singapore, where city dwellers and skyscrapers coexist with a rich array of other species, including otters, hornbills and lizards — prompting the question: Can we design cities to be wildlife refuges? (Recorded at TEDxYale NUS College on October 21, 2023)

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24 Comments

  1. @Danestani.master1

    September 26, 2024 at 7:11 am

    I wish you would have a program about dust storms in the Middle East and iran they have made life difficult for us.

  2. @StarlitFran

    September 26, 2024 at 9:08 am

    I want to be an otter watcher

  3. @heatherburch7697

    September 26, 2024 at 10:33 am

    Anyone else think this guy is a young Carl Fredrickson look alike from the movie Up? I mean this in the most complimentary way. I love him.

  4. @zakeibc

    September 26, 2024 at 12:12 pm

    This reminds me of that BBC mini clip from a documentary 😊❤❤❤

  5. @zakeibc

    September 26, 2024 at 12:14 pm

    Please don’t forget the endangered wild junglefowl who roam everywhere freely, i love them to bits too! Ancestor of the modern day chicken ❤❤❤

    • @berenicehickey9755

      September 27, 2024 at 8:49 pm

      Yes! They are gorgeous birds. I live in Singapore and hear the rooster every morning as I get up early….

    • @unicornia7494

      September 30, 2024 at 8:31 am

      They are not junglefowl though, most are just normal chickens that were released during COVID. Talked to a Nparks personnel regarding this

    • @biocapsule7311

      October 1, 2024 at 9:56 am

      @@unicornia7494 Not really. Not sure which type they are. But some of them exist and are well established in certain areas long before Covid. There was already a bunch of them around SGH, that looks like normal chickens. Those around my flat near Boon Keng have plumages that look closer to Junglefowl, very colorful. The female looks nothing like what you expect a chicken to look like, smaller, smoother in shape.

  6. @zakeibc

    September 26, 2024 at 12:22 pm

    There are also snake watchers and insect watchers etc

  7. @zakeibc

    September 26, 2024 at 12:28 pm

    I feel one of the larger contributing factors which made the wildlife come back was actually cov1d because people stayed home during the lockdown and wildlife had more safe space to roam.

  8. @ScarlitWidow

    September 26, 2024 at 8:02 pm

    I have lived in the Boston MA area for 5 years. This past year we moved into the city. Since moving into the city I’ve seen, a groundhog that lives under my neighbors house and he can’t figure out how to get rid of it, a very large skunk, a very large non-venomous snake, rabbits galore, and of course birds, squirrels, chipmunks. Very interesting

  9. @pushpakumardaniel3751

    September 27, 2024 at 1:11 am

    As the human race encroaches the forest habitat, the wild animals have learnt to live in the city habitat with humans.

  10. @Pestosaucey65

    September 27, 2024 at 2:52 am

    Sometimes the reintroduction of a species has a knock-on effect, displacing another subspecies. For example, wolves in Yellowstone and Colorado “ evicted” coyotes who then “moved” foxes into suburban, then urban areas. I have seen the increase of foxes in cities like the one I live in, Lincoln, NE and also, for a curious reason, in the UK before fox hunting became unpopular, foxes forsook country fields. and woods to take up residence in Bristol, England and very populated urban areas of London. 🦊🦊🦊

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  12. @berenicehickey9755

    September 27, 2024 at 8:47 pm

    I do voluntary field work in Singapore. Moved here from London decades ago. Currently doing dragonfly count,species,numbers etc. Also with Jane Goodall Institute here for the Raffles Banded Langur. The reintroduction to the wild of the Pied Hornbill has been successful. I have spotted them from my window and they say on my friends balcony.

  13. @ivannovotny4552

    September 27, 2024 at 8:49 pm

    Amazing video presentation and thank you for sharing/posting.

  14. @benyeong5378

    September 29, 2024 at 2:29 am

    I LOVE your video,  I had just subscribed to your channel and like your video. I will keep support your channel.

  15. @sdqsdq6274

    September 29, 2024 at 7:45 am

    guess he doesnt know singapore has tigers before , which is extinct

  16. @amodpataskar5673

    October 1, 2024 at 12:05 pm

    The coexistence was always there before the human population exploded hence its time to give back the space wildlife needs

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