The Animal Resort in Seletar to close after 20 years

After 20 years of bringing joy to animal lovers and families in Singapore, The Animal Resort will be closing down next year.

This rustic farm at Seletar is known for allowing visitors to get up close and personal with a range of creatures such as a horse, dogs, birds and rabbits, some of which roam freely within its premises. 

[embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/CHiP3veJ7x2/[/embed]

In a Facebook post on Dec 2, the establishment announced that their last day of operations will be on Jan 10, 2021, as they will not be renewing their lease with the National Parks Board (NParks). 

One reason for this decision is the fact that they will only be allowed to use the land till 2022 before it is taken back by the authorities to build new roads in the area. This seems to only be the case for The Animal Resort as other farms in the vicinity are not affected, they noted.

[embed]https://www.facebook.com/TheAnimalResort/posts/3509630879084101[/embed]

In addition, it will cost around $250,000 to renew the lease and maintain the space, which is not very feasible for the small business, they explained.

And for those hoping that The Animal Resort would find a new home elsewhere, they'd be disappointed.

In the Facebook post, they said that there are no other suitable spaces for the farm to move to, so they're left with no choice but to close it down. 

As for where the animals will go after this, The Animal Resort has promised to rehome them, telling AsiaOne that some of the birds will be handed back to the zoo while the horse will be relocated to Malaysia. 

[embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/CIK_MaHJmvn/[/embed] 

Several people have also asked them if adoptions are open for some of the animals such as the rabbits and birds, however, they'd have to wait for the screening of the creatures to be completed before they can bring them home.

Since the announcement of the upcoming closure, netizens are lamenting the fact that there will be one less farm in Singapore for children to interact with animals, while many others shared that they've enjoyed visiting the place with their families over the years.

Other netizens even suggested that The Animal Resort try crowdsourcing to help it stay open.

Despite the public sentiment, the folks running The Animal Resort told AsiaOne that they do not plan to reopen the farm anywhere else in the future, even if the opportunity arises. They also do not intend to accept donations from the public.

Although some netizens are making plans to visit the farm one last time to bid the animals goodbye, they're out of luck because bookings for the remaining slots have all been taken up.

[embed]https://www.facebook.com/TheAnimalResort/posts/3510406259006563?__cft__[0]=AZW1xZdgV8-Q_y6aN2F8PFG3MXhjwbM1YPVuodDUEIVNf7lve7UJb[/embed]

melissateo@asiaone.com