PETALING JAYA, May 15 — It was a gnarly sight for Singaporean former actress Jazreel Low when she spotted wild otters chowing down on her pet fishes, including a prized arowana.

The incident took place at Aramsa The Garden Spa which is owned by Low and located in Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park.

In a Facebook post dated May 12, the 54-year-old shared some photos of the culprits running away after scarfing down the fishes in the spa’s pond.

Low, who rose to fame after scoring second runner-up in the talent show Star Search in 1998, also dedicated a post to her 13-year-old arowana Ah Huat, who unfortunately died at the hands of the otters.

The ex-Mediacorp actress said she felt "heartbroken” over the tragedy.

Nicknamed the "dragon fish”, arowanas are highly-coveted pets that can cost up to hundreds of thousands of ringgit, with Chinese people commonly believing that its red colour and coin-like scales are a symbol of wealth and prosperity.

In a reply to a Facebook comment, Low said that Ah Huat had survived many adversities prior to being killed by the otters.

"He survived floods and droughts but did not escape this massacre.

"Koi, arowana, and cichlids (died). Only the catfish and guppies survived,” she wrote.

Many Facebook users expressed sympathy for Low’s loss, with a handful urging wildlife authorities to look into the issue of otter population control.

"They are no longer cute. Their growing population makes them pests,” wrote one user.

"Why are the authorities not looking into this serious problem? They are multiplying too fast and soon they will be uncontrollable,” said another.

Despite the harrowing situation, Low said she would be moving forward with a positive mindset and figure out a way to secure the pond with barriers to deter the otters from returning.

A similar situation reportedly took place in Malaysia this week after a video said to be taken at a private residence in Ara Damansara showed otters infiltrating a koi pond and chewing off the fishes’ heads.