We dropped by Sam Poh Tong which was a stone's throw away from Qing Xin Ling. The girls wanted to feed the tortoises as they always do when we visit Ipoh. We waited for a while to buy tomatoes as the seller ran out and had to cut more.
People have been saying for years that the number of tortoises are going down. But this trip, we were surprised - the enclosure was practically EMPTY! The girls had been looking forward to their game of trying to feed the smaller tortoises before the big ones came to snatch the food. Suffice to say that this time, there were more uneaten tomato lying around than there were tortoises.
So few tortoises. What shall we do with our tomato?
Took the chance to comment on the lack of tortoises to the tomato-seller on our way out. She had the audacity to say, "Oh these tortoises just love to HIDE! The other day people were commenting that there were so many tortoises that there wasn't enough food!" Hahaha. What complete BS*. No way any tortoise was hiding unless it had learned how to turn invisible.
Sad trip. Guess there is no need to stop by any more.
So sad tht it has turned into a tourist trap with the tomatoes seller scamming ppl to buy more tomatoes frm her! I believe those tortoise might hav died during the COVID lockdown when all parks were closed.
ReplyDeleteI guess they must have died. :( Can't think of any other reason the number suddenly plummeted.
DeleteOh dear, I hope the tortoises didn't die like what NuxV said but have been adopted during the lockdown time. Did SE and JE ask for a tortoise pet?
ReplyDeleteThose tortoises were BIG and wouldn't be suitable for residential homes. And lockdown was a time when activities slowed down. I brought it up to the tomato-seller as I was hoping to find out what could have happened. From her answer, nope don't think anything good happened.
DeleteThese tortoises aren't pretty animals so the girls never wanted them as pets haha.
https://www.turtleconservationsociety.org.my/turtles-from-the-sam-poh-tong-temple-given-a-new-home/
DeleteSad about the drop in the number of tortoises in the pond. I haven't been there for many, many years.
ReplyDeleteI used to go as a kid and there were really huge tortoises then. They must have been decades old. I resumed visiting because of my kids. But the enclosure was unexpectedly desolate this time.
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