The Dead Cockroach: The Live Turtle And Tortoise Museum @ The Chinese Garden

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Located right inside the Chinese Garden lies Singapore's - and probably the world's - only turtle and tortoise museum. It is a unique, and one-of-a-kind museum, which houses a varied collection of the reptiles including some endangered species on the CITES.

It also holds the Guinness World Record since 2005 for the largest collection of turtle and tortoise items.

Unfortunately for the museum, the site it is sitting on has been incorporated into the masterplan design of the Jurong Lake Gardens project.

This spells nothing but trouble for the 500 turtles and tortoises who have lost their home with nowhere to go.

With a heavy heart, I decided to pay the museum a visit, four days before they are slated to close - permanently.

Although most of them are housed in pens and aquariums, I am actually quite surprised that some of the larger land tortoises are free to walk around the compound much to the delight of the visitors, especially the kids.

In all honesty, I find the place rather rundown and the terrapin pond way too crowded. But to be fair, the place wasn't very big to speak of and a large portion of the turtles/tortoises the museum had were given up to them by hobbyists/private collectors.

For obvious reasons, the turtles/tortoises cannot be released elsewhere because having been raised as pets for years, they would not have the ability to survive in their new environment. Besides, releasing of animals into reservoirs and waterways is a punishable offence.

Non of the turtles/tortoises in the museum were captured from the wild to be kept in captivity.

Also, visitors need to know the differences between turtles and tortoises. Turtles live underwater while tortoises live on land. This is the reason why some of them are housed in seemingly dry glass tanks without any water to swim in.

I do agree that the living conditions of the turtles/tortoises can be further improved but with limited funds and the impending eviction, the museum operator is doing the best they could.

Hopefully, the turtles/tortoises will have a bigger home with better facilities at their new location.

The museum is in desperate need of funds to source for a new location.

If you wish to help the turtles and tortoises from an uncertain fate, you may donate any sum here. Or you have until the end of this week, to pay them a visit ($5 for adults, $3 for senior citizens and children under 6 years old).

I wish the museum all the best.