The haven for the rare species of tortoises in Singapore- The Live Turtle and Tortoise Museum- at the Chinese Garden will be relocating to the ORTO leisure park in Yishun in 2019.
The construction of the new site is expected to be completed within next two weeks. The museum houses around 500 turtles, tortoises and terrapins.
Though the lease of the museum at the Chinese Garden expired in March this year, but the owner of the museum, Connie Tan, penned a lengthy Facebook post to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong appealing for help. PM Lee replied the next day, saying government agencies would be looking into the case
Later, she posted an update on Facebook saying the museum’s lease had been extended by the National Parks Board.
The new museum at Yishun will be about 10 per cent bigger than the Chinese Garden location. Further, it will feature enhanced amenities such as larger animal pens.
Tan hopes that visitors will like the new place at ORTO which was formerly known as Bottle Tree Park.
“ORTO … is a haven for families. With the area complementing what we are, it will definitely be a wonderful place for everyone to enjoy themselves in,” said Tan.
The cost of the renovation at Yishun is estimated to be close to SGD600,000, but various contractors have offered sponsorships and discounts. She only had to pay for the materials cost.
However, she will still have to fork out around SGD200,000. “I hope that many people will come and visit, so that the entrance fees can help cover the renovation cost,” she said.
With about SGD30,000 raised to date, she estimates that she needs another SGD180,000.
For meeting the required finances, entrance fees at Yishun will be raised to SGD10 for Singaporean citizens and SGD6 for children and senior citizens. She has also made appeals to the public for donations to help fund the museum.
