One of the iconic parts of Singapore’s world-famous skyline is the Merlion statue.
For decades, the Merlion has welcomed millions of tourists to our shores, but lately, it seems it could use some time off.
Some visitors recently spotted some cracks on the statue that sits near the mouth of the Singapore River. They even said it looked like lightning had struck the statue.
Source: Xiaohongshu
As a result, the Merlion is now “on leave” for maintenance works, said the Singapore Tourism Board (STB).
On Tuesday (18 July), a user on Chinese social platform Xiaohongshu posted a photograph of a crack running up the Merlion’s torso.
Another Xiaohongshu user corroborated the account in a video on Thursday (20 July). The footage showed a closer look at the crack.
Source: Xiaohongshu
“Did the Merlion get struck by lightning during the storms over the last few days?” the user wrote.
According to a report by 8world News, other tourists also noticed the cracks when reporters went down on Tuesday (25 July).
One visitor from the United States told the news outlet that she did not mind the defect as it is only noticeable from the back of the statue.
However, another tourist from the Philippines is worried that the statue might crumble in a few years.
Thankfully, that will not happen, as the Merlion is now on a well-deserved break.
On Wednesday (26 July), STB released a statement via The Straits Times (ST) regarding maintenance works on the statue.
Interestingly, the STB wrote the notice from the point-of-view of the hybrid creature itself.
In the message, the Merlion notified the public that it would be “out of office” on 27 and 28 July.
“I need a break too, you know, or what my manager – the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) – says, ‘maintenance works’,” it said.
Source: Xiaohongshu
The STB explained that scaffolding will cover the main Merlion statue while they carry out the works. As such, it will not be available for photo-taking on these two days.
In the meantime, the Merlion suggested visitors pay its younger sibling, the Merlion cub, at the Merlion Park nearby.
“We seek the public’s understanding as the works and barricades may cause some inconvenience during this period,” added STB.
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Featured image adapted from Xiaohongshu.
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