Turtles allegedly taken from Bedok community pond: Resident confronts man with net
A man allegedly took turtles from a community pond located between Blocks 90 and 91 Bedok North Street 4 on Feb 8.
Stomper Sim said she caught the man inside the pond holding a net.
"Our community pond in Bedok was once filled with turtles," she said. "Many are now missing."
From photos shared by the Stomper, the turtles appear to be red-eared slider terrapins.
According to Sim, the man claimed he was catching the turtles but said he had not caught any when she confronted him.
"I asked him to open his bags and there were four to five turtles inside," she said.
She alleged that the man then threw the turtles back into the pond.
Sim followed him to his motorcycle and noted down the licence plate number.
She managed to take photos of the man who was seen carrying a backpack and a large red plastic bag.
The Stomper said the man claimed he had a farm in Yio Chu Kang and was a breeder, but declined to provide further details when asked.
"When I requested him to return all the turtles, he was nasty and said I can sue him," she said.
She believes he may have been responsible for other turtles that had gone missing from the pond in recent weeks.
Sim subsequently called the police.
She said East Coast Town Council had given her permission to care for the turtles and rehome them to a temple.
In a letter dated Nov 26, 2025, that was seen by Stomp, the town council stated there were plans to repurpose the pond and requested her support in helping to relocate the turtles once a decision was made.
She and another resident regularly feed the animals and clean the pond.
On Feb 12 around noon, Sim said the town council informed her that the pond would be washed the next day and asked her to remove the turtles.
"No notice was given, which created quite some uproar," she said.
On Feb 13, she shared a photo showing the pond drained and cleared of turtles.
The turtles have since been relocated to a temple.
Stomp has contacted East Coast Town Council for more information.
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