SINGAPORE – Four tortoises have been recovered by the National Parks Board (NParks) from a community farm in Ang Mo Kio after concerns were raised over the treatment of the creatures.

Mr Guy Consigliere, 58, and his wife were visiting a shop selling fish tanks at Ang Mo Kio Industrial Park 2 on March 25 when they noticed a farm beside it, he told The Straits Times.

“We saw a bleeding tortoise at the fence line,” said the retired civil servant.

According to Mr Consigliere, the tortoises were housed in an enclosure together with some chickens and geese.

“I knew that something needed to be done as chickens were pecking at the two spots (on the shell) that were bleeding.”

The community farm, which spans seven blocks in the industrial park, is an initiative run by the Ang Mo Kio Industrial Park 2 Association. The farm grows vegetables using an aquaponics farming system. The fresh produce is donated to families in need in the community, according to a sign posted at the farm.

Besides vegetable plots, the farm has several enclosures housing chickens, ducks, geese and turkeys. When The Straits Times visited the farm on Friday, the animals were roaming freely in their enclosures, occasionally approaching passers-by.

A volunteer, who wanted to be known only as Daniel, said the animals, including the tortoises, had been donated to the farm.

He declined to comment further on the matter, saying that the tortoises are now under the care of NParks.

NParks, in a statement on Thursday, said that it rescued a total of four tortoises from the farm and that the injured tortoise is under its care.

It added that it is illegal to keep tortoises that are listed as Cites species.

Cites, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, is an international agreement that ensures wildlife species are not threatened with extinction by trade, according to the NParks website.

In response to queries from ST, Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres) co-chief executive Anbarasi Boopal said the rescued tortoises are African spurred tortoises, also known as sulcata tortoises.

She added that it is illegal to keep tortoises such as sulcata in Singapore, and only those with a licence to possess them for a certain reason – such as rescue centres and zoos – are allowed to keep this prohibited species.

Sulcata tortoises are native to Northern Africa, and require ample space, a fibrous diet, good sunlight, hiding spaces and appropriate water provision, among other needs, according to Ms Boopal.

Acres has rescued some tortoises of this species in the past with shell deformities, indicating that they suffered from lack of proper care.

“Most often, people who get them as pets when these tortoises are small may not even realise that they can live long and are the world’s third-largest tortoise species, or even know what species they are,” she added.

To prevent the rampant growth of the illegal wildlife trade online, Ms Boopal said Acres has been urging veterinary clinics to report all illegally kept and bred pets in Singapore.

“There is a reason why they are prohibited. In addition to conservation, the key reason is welfare and diverse needs that wildlife have, that are often impossible to meet in captivity.

“Due to the illegal trading/smuggling, many lives are also lost in the process,” Ms Boopal said.

The Straits Times has contacted the Ang Mo Kio Industrial Park 2 Association for comment.