Tan Dawn Wei, Straits Times 14 Jun 09;
For many Singaporeans over the age of 40, memories of the old National Museum invariably linger over one particular exhibit: a blue whale skeleton that once loomed from the ceiling near the entrance.
It is, however, no longer in Singapore.
The 13m-long skeleton of a blue whale, which once loomed from the ceiling of the old National Museum, was given to the Muzium Negara in Kuala Lumpur when Singapore's museum changed its focus in 1972. That 13m-long showpiece - the whale had beached in southern Malacca in 1892 - was given to Malaysia's Muzium Negara in 1972.
It is not the only piece of historical specimen that Singapore has 'lost'. Owing to a decision from top government ranks to clear out animal and plant exhibits from the museum and make way for art and ethnographic displays, Singapore's rich natural heritage has been kept out of the public eye for the past 30 years.
Stored away in the vaults of the Department of Biological Sciences at the National University of Singapore (NUS), these prized possessions have been accessible only to local and foreign researchers studying the region's fauna.
A tiny sampling is displayed in the modest public gallery of the department's Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research, but most Singaporeans do not even know that the museum exists.
The modest public gallery - the size of three regular classrooms - at the Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research. Less than 1 per cent of the Zoological Reference Collection is on display. -- ST PHOTO: JOYCE FANG So, when 3,000 people showed up at the museum's gallery - the size of three regular classrooms - on International Museum Day three weeks ago, museum staff could not believe their eyes.
Never before have they hosted so many visitors: There were only 400 walk-in visitors for the whole of last year.
While media write-ups prior to the event played a part in bringing in the crowds, the large number was perhaps a good indication that Singaporeans are now interested in their natural heritage.
Since then, several readers have written to this newspaper, and an online discussion among history and nature buffs has been ignited, over one issue: Is it not high time that Singapore has a stand-alone natural history museum that will complement the other big ones in the country?
The answer is practically a no-brainer if you knew what national treasures have been hidden away for so long.
In the back rooms of the gallery is a treasure trove of 500,000 specimens of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fishes, crustaceans, insects, molluscs and other invertebrates, making it one of the largest collections of South-east Asian animals in the region.
Among them are century-old specimens inherited from the British, extinct and endangered animals as well as new discoveries made by the current museum's researchers.
The stature of a museum rests on its collection of type specimen - the original specimen from which the description of a new species is made - and Raffles Museum has 6,000 of these.
It is a cache that any foreign museum would want to lay its hands on. And some, like the British Museum, almost did.
When the Government decided to give the National Museum fresh focus in 1970, natural history was not on the agenda.
'They didn't see the value then of dead specimens. At that time, we were fighting for our survival and economic imperatives were the priority,' said Professor Leo Tan, director of the Singapore Science Centre from 1982 to 1991 and a marine biologist.
The entire collection was relegated to the new Science Centre, which was being set up to promote science and technology.
But since the centre had no mandate to do research, it donated the collection to the then University of Singapore.
Despite its great historic and scientific value, the thousands of specimens languished in poor conditions for nearly 10 years without a permanent home.
Those dark years saw the collection being moved from five World War II huts where the National University Hospital now stands, to the university's Bukit Timah campus, to Nanyang University's library building.
A lack of storage space - and appreciation from the higher authorities - for this heritage can be blamed for Singapore losing the iconic whale skeleton to Malaysia, and some specimens to the heat, fungal and insect attacks.
It is believed that some big-game heads and deer antlers may also have been auctioned off.
'We fought hard to keep the collection. There was a move to give it to the British Museum,' recalled Professor Lam Toong Jin, former head of the zoology department at NUS and now Emeritus Professor at the biological sciences department.
When the Faculty of Science decided to make the collection a focal point of biodiversity studies in NUS, it was finally given a permanent home in 1988.
But there was no consideration for a public gallery then, said Prof Lam. The collection was strictly for research.
'It is a shame the public can't enjoy it. When we do have important people who visit, sometimes these views were expressed, so that led to some opening up.'
A modest public gallery was started, with an idea to slowly growing it.
But with a yearly operating budget of $300,000 which goes to pay for utilities and maintenance, there is little the museum's caretakers can do about public outreach.
'We're running on a shoestring budget, with eight or nine staff members and our hands full just maintaining and adding to the collection,' said Dr Tan Swee Hee, curator of crustacea at the museum.
'The spirit is willing, but the money is not coming,' he said, with a laugh. Which leads one back to the no-brainer answer - one that even the collection's custodians echo.
In fact, the subject of building a proper natural history museum has come up during discussions with the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA).
Land has even been set aside, next to the Singapore Science Centre in Jurong, in the URA Masterplan.
Such a pairing makes perfect sense, said Prof Tan, now director of special projects at the dean's office of the science faculty.
The London Natural History Museum and Science Museum are sited side by side, and the duo attract millions of visitors yearly.
'The two are synergistic,' he said.
Even if Singapore's natural history museum were to stand alone, its value would be multi-fold: education, heritage preservation, research and tourism, said Prof Tan.
Ms Ilsa Sharp, an author and former council member of the Nature Society in Malaysia and Singapore, hopes to see a 'Singapore Green Museum' that will not only tell the story of our natural environment, but also place Singapore's biome in its proper regional and global context.
'The educational opportunities are immense. But the continued link with living science is also crucial,' she said, adding that these could come in the form of hands- on laboratory experiences for student naturalists within the museum.
Making it relevant to this nation's future generation seems to be the overriding benefit of having such a museum as far as stakeholders are concerned.
'As a society, we have to realise that museums, discovery and research - even in things that might not yield any practical benefit - enrich us and make us better, wiser and more enlightened people,' said Dr Shawn Lum, president of the Nature Society.
The next logical question then is: Should this new museum be driven from a national level? And, is there the political will for such an institution to be developed?
Mr Michael Koh, chief executive officer of the National Heritage Board (NHB), which runs eight museums including the National Museum, was non-committal when asked.
He said the board strongly supports the excellent work that the Raffles Museum has done to showcase Singapore's natural heritage, and is happy that there are plans for a new building on the university campus for the museum's expansion.
'NHB will continue to work closely with the Raffles Museum and our Museum Roundtable members to grow the heritage eco-system and foster a museum-going culture,' he said.
The Roundtable was formed in 1996 to develop a stronger museum-going culture in Singapore. Chaired by NHB, it has 46 members, including the Raffles Museum.
What about corporations? Can they play an endowment role, much like how museums in the West operate?
Raffles Museum's Dr Tan is somewhat sceptical.
'We can't adopt the American model as the ethos and feeling towards natural history is very different. They have a strong endowment element and culture. People are willing to donate,' he said.
Ultimately, such a museum will need more than one champion.
Dr Lum said: 'For Singapore to have a natural history museum, which I hope it will, there needs to be commitment not only from the government authorities and foundations who have to support it, but also from the public.'
The good news is there is already fresh commitment from the university. It is early days, but the school has said it has plans for a new building that will give the bursting-at-the-seams museum, teaching and research laboratories more breathing space.
And there is more anticipated good news. Word is that Singapore is trying to get the collection's piece de resistance - the whale skeleton - back.
Perhaps it will lord over visitors once again - this time at a new natural history museum.
dawntan@sph.com.sg
PRIZED TREASURES
# Leathery Turtle (Dermochelys coriacea)
Found stranded at Siglap beach in 1883, these turtles are not usually seen in Singapore waters. It is the largest living member of the Testudines (turtles, terrapins and tortoises) and is several thousand times larger than the regular pet terrapin.
# Golden Babirusa (Babyrousa babyrussa)
The name comes from combining the Malay words for pig (babi) and deer (rusa). This rare pig, which sometimes gets mistaken for a deer, was found in Buru, Sulawesi in Indonesia in 1913.
# Basket Star (Euryale aspera)
This highly rare benthic invertebrate with a silhouette-like delicate lace is the only one ever to be captured in Singapore. It was found off St John's Island in 1896.
# Cream-coloured Giant Squirrel (Ratufa affinis)
This large squirrel (below) was found in Changi in 1908. Local scientists believe it faces extinction because its habitat has been destroyed by urbanisation.# Tiger Shark (Galeocerdo cuvieri)
Discovered in Pasir Panjang in 1967, this shark - the first of this species found in Singapore waters - was found to have human remains inside it.
# Great Bittern (Botaurus stellaris)
This bird was found in Singapore in 1927. It represents the only known record of this species to be found here.