UPDATE: The Singapore Crocodile Farm has closed.

Most visitors are familiar with animal-based attractions like the Singapore Zoo and Jurong Bird Park, but did you know that Singapore also has a crocodile farm? The Tan Moh Hong Crocodile Farm opened in the 1940s and little has changed since then.

The Crocodile Farm is a blast from Singapore’s past.

The first indicator that the croc farm was going to be a blast from the past was the delightfully kitschy hand-painted sign displayed along Upper Serangoon Road. Though Tan Moh Hong Crocodile Farm looks like it’s been on ‘pause’ for decades, the area around it has continued to develop and the farm is in the middle of a residential area. Inside the gate, a path led past a rundown house and into a courtyard filled with brick pits – inside these were the crocodiles!

There were about 10 adult crocodiles in total and handwritten signs provided some basic details, like the different species on display, which included the endangered estuarine crocodile and the narrow-snouted false gharial. On my weekend visit there were no staff on duty in the crocodile area, so this was the only information I got. As you might expect of a “farm”, the animals are kept in pretty spartan conditions and crocodile enclosures are bare with just a few inches of water.

And you thought it was inconsiderate when your neighbour got a pitbull!

The ‘processing’ area of the crocodile farm was closed to visitors, but products like crocodile skin handbags and crocodile teeth necklaces are sold in the adjacent gift shop. The crocodile farm gift shop definitely sells some of the most bizarre souvenirs to be found in Singapore, including crocodile leather EZ-link card holders and postcards of baby crocodiles being fed using chopsticks.

The Tan Moh Hong Crocodile Farm website says that educational tours are available, but these definitely need to be arranged in advance. On a sunny Saturday afternoon I was the only visitor and no one spoke to me until I was in the gift shop.  I shouldn’t complain though, because admission is completely free.

See ya later, alligator.

If you’re interested in seeing the stranger side of Singapore, the crocodile farm is worth a quick visit.

Getting there: The crocodile farm is a 15-minute walk from Serangoon or Kovan MRT stations. If you don’t feel like walking, take bus service #80, 81, 136, 153, 107, or 101 from the MRT stations two stops to get closer to the entrance.

Tan Moh Hong Crocodile Farm
790 Upper Serangoon Road
T: 6288 9385
www.singaporecrocfarm.com
Open 09:00–18:00 weekdays, 09:00–17:30 weekends, closed public holidays
Admission is free

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