SINGAPORE: After a 12-year wait, a man in Singapore watched a miracle of nature unfold when he was able to breed a Malayan box turtle at home.
These turtles, once very common in Singapore and many Southeast Asian countries, are now considered vulnerable due to illegal trade. They are, however, allowed to be kept as pets.
Tiger Heng first let the world know about his “little miracle” when he posted photos of the baby turtle on the Singapore Wildlife Sightings Facebook page on Monday (Aug 20), where it got the attention of many users on the platform.
He has also been posting videos about his journey over TikTok.
@boxturtlesg Rare and Endangered Baby Turtle hatched!! I sincerely hope my experience can contribute a little towards the ongoing research and conservation of this species, its breeding behaviour and population. I look forward to many years with this little one. ❤️🐢 #saveturtles #boxturtle #redearedslider #eggs #veterinarian #acres #wildlife #wildlifephotography #reptilesoftiktok🦎 #turtles #turtlesoftiktok #sgtiktok #sgtiktoker #petsoftiktok #pets #petlover #petslover #fishfarm #goldfish #dog #cat #endangered #endangeredspecies #rhino #polarbear #tortoise #catsoftiktok #deadpoolandwolverine #boxoffice #1billion #hatchling #baby #cute #cutebaby
Mr Heng told The Independent Singapore that he is a long-time animal lover who’s had many pets, including turtles, and that he wants his two young daughters to feel the same way about nature and conservation.
He has a special love for the Malayan Box Turtle (MBT), he added, because he used to see them a lot at Singapore’s reservoirs, when he was younger, until an imported turtle species, the red-eared slider, overran their turf.
“Today if you go around Singapore, you can barely see any MBT,” he told TISG, adding, “I have always been fascinated by the Malayan Box Turtle, they have a very special adaption: a movable hinge on its plastron where they can actually close their shells FULLY and hide all their flesh inside, to prevent predators from successfully attacking them. Hence they are called ‘box’ turtles, they can really close up their shell fully like a box.”
@boxturtlesg Rare baby turtle does not need to eat?? Did you know that in the first few days of a baby turtle’s life, it does not require any food or water? This is because the yolk sac provides it with all the nutrients and hydration required at this stage! Feeding and drinking will come later. 🙂 #turtle #hatchling #hatchlings #babyturtle #saveturtles #boxturtle #eggs #redearslider #malayantiger #malayanboxturtle #reptiles #reptilesoftiktok🦎 #sg #sgtiktokers🇸🇬 #petsoftiktok #pets #petslovers #fishfarm #tortoise #cat #goldfish #dog #wildanimals #wildlifephotography #wildliferescue #wildlifeoftiktok #endangeredspecies #cataoftiktok #baby #cutebaby #1billion #tortoise #tiger #jaguar #carnivore #worms #swimming #olympics #veterinarian #heartshape
♬ original sound – BoxTurtle Conservation SG – BoxTurtle Conservation SG
His breeding journey began when his female MBT began laying eggs 12 years ago. That was the easy part since actually getting an egg to develop and hatch was, in Mr Heng’s words, “extremely difficult” with many factors in play including diet, male-to-female ratio, environment, nesting area, humidity, temperature, and so on.
“There were many times when there were eggs but they were not fertile, or the turtles accidentally stepped on or moved the eggs before I could retrieve them. It took many years to calibrate and balance all the elements,” he added.
This led him to extensively research turtle conservation and breeding, also he spoke to people overseas with experience in breeding turtles, including Cuora.org, the conservation center that focuses on box turtle conservation.
The egg that hatched was laid in October of last year and hatched on Jan 7, 2024. He was greatly surprised, as Mr Heng had thought the embryo had died based on the marking on its shell.
“It was really a miracle that after 66 days, the tiny head of the baby turtle popped out of the egg! Super amazed and surprised by nature, and it is really God’s miracle,” he told us, adding that he waited to “announce” the baby’s birth since he wanted to make sure the youngling was stable.
“In the wild, baby turtles have an extremely high mortality rate of more than 90%!” he added.
@boxturtlesg Rare Baby Turtle’s First Swim!! #saveturtles #boxturtle #malayanboxturtle #redearedslider #eggs #veterinarian #acres #wildlife #wildlifephotography #reptiles #reptilesoftiktok🦎 #turtles #turtlesoftiktok #sgtiktok #sgtiktokers🇸🇬 #petsoftiktok #pets #petlover #petslovers #fishfarm #goldfish #dog #cat #endangered #rhino #polarbear #tortoise #catsoftiktok #1billionauidition #hatchling #baby #cute #cutebaby #rarebeauty #tiger #eat #carnivore #swimming #olympics #acres #polarbear #deadpool
“I sincerely hope my experience can contribute a little towards the ongoing research and conservation of this species, its breeding behaviour and population,” he added in a Facebook post. /TISG