NTU Campus Hosts Monitor Lizards, Snakes & Boars
To many Singaporeans, Nanyang Technological University (NTU), is affectionately known as ‘Pulau NTU’, mostly due to its ulu location.
But did you know that NTU is also frequented by members of the wildlife on a consistent basis?
Here are 5 animals that have been sighted in Pulau NTU over the years, clearly not for their degree certificates.
1. Monitor Lizards
NTU students were treated to sightings of a monitor lizard in their compounds on Monday (17 Sep).
But most of them were probably too busy filming it on their smartphones to fully appreciate its beauty.
Here’s footage of it attempting to enter one of the dormitories.
Submitted by a MustShareNews reader
The lizard was also spotted rummaging through cleaning accessories.
Submitted by a MustShareNews reader
We sincerely hope the lizard wasn’t a student who had fallen prey to a transfiguration spell.
2. Wild Boars
Like all proper ulu places, Pulau NTU is known for its fair share of wild boar sightings.
Just last month, STOMP reported that a wild boar was reportedly seen scouring for food near one of NTU’s dormitories.
Thankfully, nobody was hurt during this encounter.
Unlike another incident that occurred in the same month in Punggol.
Students have also uploaded similar footage on YouTube, dating back to 2008.
3. Snakes
Back in 2015, 2 massive snakes were seen fighting on school grounds in NTU.
According to nature enthusiasts, the two snakes consist of a king cobra and a reticulated python — two of the largest snakes in the world.
The reticulated python was released to the forest while the venomous king cobra was sent to the zoo.
Just one year later, yet another 2-metre long reticulated python was spotted in school dormitory.
Safe to say, NTU’s one of the favourite hangout spots for these slithering creatures.
4. Monkeys
If you need proof that McDonald’s is hard to resist, this is it.
A monkey was seen nibbling on its food at the McDonald’s located at NTU’s North Spine Plaza.
Check out the video in full here.
Now, you need not feel so bad about giving in to your McSpicy cravings over the weekend.
5. Pangolins
Pangolins may be classified as a critically endangered species, but they seem to fancy making appearances from time to time in Pulau NTU.
In 2016, a young pangolin was found in one of the dormitory’s common rooms, reportedly entering from a hole found in the door.
A pangolin was rescued and released into a nearby forest shortly after.
The full video of the rescue can be seen here.
Here’s another adorable pangolin attempting to find its way through the vast NTU compound.
The full video is below:
Pulau NTU is wild indeed
Pulau NTU may have more wild encounters than most places in Singapore, but this shouldn’t come as a surprise.
The school’s grounds are essentially surrounded by forests.
Just look at the aerial view of the school from Google Maps.
Guess there isn’t much of a competition for the wildest campus in Singapore…or is there?
On a more serious note, if you do encounter wildlife, don’t attempt to “take care” of the problem on your own. Especially when the animals are perceived to be dangerous.
You can call the ACRES Wildlife Rescue Hotline at 9783 7782. They are on standby 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. So you have no excuses for not studying. Find out more information on their website here.
Featured image from YouTube.
