SINGAPORE -- In 1907 a tiger was discovered hiding beneath the billiard table in the Long Bar of Raffles Hotel. Probably. Some have questioned the tiger's authenticity. Particularly if they have visited the Raffles Hotel's Long Bar. It is on the second and third floor. Not traditional tiger country.
But . . . The Johor Straight that separates Singapore Island from peninsular Malaysia is narrow. Tigers did swim across to raise cubs in Singapore's forested hills. Wild elephants swam across too, the latest excursion occurring as recently as 1990. Even today, and this is the point, an estuarine crocodile, the largest reptile on earth, turns up from time to time.
Singapore has a wild side. You just need to look.