SINGAPORE: The Live Turtle and Tortoise Museum of Singapore will close after Feb 28, founder Connie Tan announced in a video posted on the museum’s social media accounts on Tuesday (Jan 28).
“I have very painful news to tell you,” Ms Tan said in the video. “[The] 28th of February is our last day that you guys can come and see the turtles.” She said that the museum needs to close by March 1 as it is “smack right in the centre of major development” and added that she had no choice but to agree to the museum’s closure.
@turtlemuseumsg We’ll be closed from 28 Feb onwards… this is a really painful news for us, and at this point we’re still very unsure what to do… We have no choice, we sincerely hope for your understanding and support. In hope to tide through this period, please do consider visiting us during CNY. We will be open on these timings. 29/01: 2pm-6pm 30/01 onwards: 10am-6pm Any donations to the turtles will be deeply appreciated too.. You may PayNow to UEN 52933221C. For all the support over the 5 years we were here at Lorong Chencharu, we cherished and miss all your warmth as well as care for the turtles. With a lot of love from all of us at turtle museum, thank you so much… 💚 #thankyou #closing #turtles #sgnews #supportlocal #donation #loveeveryone #sgnews
Standing outside the museum, she explained that construction is now close by and the museum needs to move to another location. While they were given options, Ms Tan found that none of these were viable as they would be “detrimental” to the turtles.
However, she said the museum would be open during the Chinese New Year holidays, from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Jan 29 and from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Jan 30. It will likely be closed for at least five to six months, from March through July.
Ms Tan, however, expressed concern for the turtles’ well-being due to the many changes in their home, including changes to the water and environment. Although “very worried,” she added that she and the museum team will “push on, drive on.”
She also appealed for donations to the museum, adding that she had not known it would need to close for about half a year, which means there would be no income. Ms Tan also posted a UEN number, 52933221C, for those who would like to give via PayNow.
In the caption to the post, she wrote that they are still “very unsure” of their next steps for the museum. However, she thanked those who have visited the turtles in the past.
“For all the support over the 5 years we were here at Lorong Chencharu, we cherished and miss all your warmth and care for the turtles. With much love from all of us at the Turtle Museum, thank you so much….”
In April of last year, Ms Tan first took to social media to appeal for support for the museum, as the number of visitors had dwindled and her savings, which she had been forced to dip into, had gotten depleted.
“Since the construction of Lor Chencharu started last year, many people had thought that Turtle Museum, along with our neighbour GUI (Ground-Up Initiative), is closed,” she added at the time. /TISG