Tiger Finds Home in Choa Chu Kang Public Library

The Board of Directors and Supporters of WWF-Singapore donate “Tribal Gold” tiger sculpture to the library to mark collaborative efforts in public education on environmental consciousness

Today, the National Library Board (NLB) and WWF-Singapore (World Wide Fund for Nature Singapore) marked their long-time partnership to raise public awareness of and action in environment issues and wildlife conservation with the unveiling of a tiger sculpture entitled “Tribal Gold” at the Choa Chu Kang Public Library (CCKPL).

According to its original creators (Temenggong Artists-In-Residence x Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts), the colour represents the precious Malayan tigers while the textured tribal and topographical lines signify an abstract representation of their natural habitat in Malaysia. The red paw represents the tiger’s critically endangered status and yet radiates hope in humanity’s efforts to eliminate the poaching of tigers globally.

The sculpture, donated by the Board of Directors and Supporters of WWF-Singapore, is housed along CCKPL’s Community Wall near the entrance of the library at Level 4 of Lot One Shoppers’ Mall. It has also been incorporated into CCKPL’s Augmented Reality (AR) Learning Trail, which takes patrons on a journey to learn more about wildlife species and natural landscapes in Singapore. Patrons can also access a Curiocity interactive story map that will cover a story on Singapore’s last wild tiger reported as shot and killed in Choa Chu Kang in 1930, via a QR code that accompanies the sculpture. 

From left to right: Mr R. Raghunathan (CEO, WWF-Singapore), Mr Ng Cher Pong (CEO, NLB), Mr Achal Agarwal (Chairman, WWF-Singapore)

CCKPL, which was recently recognised as “Best Green Library 2022” by the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions, reopened in October 2021 after a two-year revamp. With its theme (Re)Connect with Nature, the library features the history of the neighbourhood and sustainability in its design.

The unveiling of “Tribal Gold” at the library today was attended by representatives from WWF-Singapore and NLB including Mr R. Raghunathan, the Chief Executive Officer of WWF-Singapore and Mr Ng Cher Pong, the Chief Executive Officer of NLB.

Mr Ng said: “Our collaborations with WWF-Singapore over the years have allowed our libraries to offer our patrons a deeper learning and discovery experience in the areas of environmental issues, sustainable living and wildlife conservation. Today’s donation by the Board of Directors and Supporters of WWF-Singapore marks another major milestone towards deepening this partnership.  We will continue to work with like-minded partners like WWF-Singapore to build a Learning Marketplace that can support our patrons’ lifelong learning needs.”

WWF-Singapore’s CEO, Mr R. Raghunathan said: “We are happy to work with the NLB to unveil today, the tiger sculpture titled “Tribal Gold” for everyone's viewing pleasure at the Choa Chu Kang Public Library. WWF-Singapore believes that art is a persuasive medium to educate and engage people on the important issues of climate change, and nature and biodiversity loss. We believe that our partnership with the NLB will bring forth many more initiatives in the future that will continue to spread awareness and inspire more people to protect and conserve nature.”

Please refer to the Annex for information on past and current NLB and WWF-Singapore collaborations. Other upcoming green initiatives from the NLB include the next run of Green Market programmes in CCKPL and the roll out of sustainability-themed Nodes across green spaces in Singapore. More details will be shared when ready. Nodes and Learning Marketplace are initiatives under NLB’s LAB25 (Libraries and Archives Blueprint 2025).

 

About National Library Board

The National Library Board (NLB) nurtures Readers for Life, Learning Communities and a Knowledgeable Nation by promoting reading, learning and history through its network of 28 libraries, the National Library and the National Archives of Singapore. NLB also forges strategic partnerships that encourage awareness, appreciation and greater discovery of Singapore's history through its rich collections in Singapore and the region.

NLB achieves excellence through innovation, focusing on citizen engagement and co-creation, resource and digital innovation. This creates learning opportunities, greater access to library resources, services, and archival collections, as well as a continual development of innovative library spaces. Established on 1 September 1995 as a statutory board, NLB is under the Ministry of Communications and Information.

For more information, please visit the NLB website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube.

 

For media enquiries, please contact:

Denise Yuen Melissa Sharif
Weber Shandwick Weber Shandwick
Tel: 9478 7377 Tel: 9430 1103
Email: dyuen@webershandwick.com Email: msharif@webershandwick.com

 

 

PAST AND CURRENT NLB AND WWF-SINGAPORE COLLABORATIONS

 Activity  Status  Details
Storytelling and Activity Series Past  In 2018, the WWF x HSBC Ripples Programme was launched.

The programme targeted children aged 5 to 7 to inspire them to take action and become a Water Warrior. The programmes were hosted in 12 libraries such as Bedok Public Library, Yishun Public Library and Woodlands Regional Library etc. over a 3-month period each year.

Panel Discussion with Experts Past

In 2020, the WWF Explains programme was launched.

The programme was a quarterly series focused on trending everyday life concerns and links to the environment, such as the environmental impact of online shopping and plastic use. Online and hybrid models were explored.

Content Development and Curated Reads Past

Co-created activity sheets for children:

Curated reading recommendations on WWF’s virtual platform:

Illegal Wildlife Trade exhibition Ongoing

Learn about Illegal Wildlife Trade with WWF is a roving poster exhibition accompanied by two community engagement sessions at each library. During the sessions, WWF-Singapore’s volunteers interact with the public and educate them on illegal wildlife trade through games and interactive activities.

Date: June – Dec 2022

Venue: Bukit Panjang Public Library (May-Jun), Jurong Regional Library (Jul-Aug), Ang Mo Kio Public Library (Sep-Oct) and Choa Chu Kang Public Library (Nov-Dec)

Book donation Ongoing

In July 2022, WWF-Singapore donated two sets of eight water-themed books to NLB. Each set will be placed in the children collection at Choa Chu Kang Public Library and Central Public Library, to go with their sustainability theme.

Talk on Sustainable Lifestyles Future

A Green Market programme where participants will learn simple ways to reduce their individual carbon footprint with an expert from WWF-Singapore.

Date: 17 Sep 2022

Venue: Online

Bird Watching Course Future

Bird Watching Course

Date: October

Venue: Ang Mo Kio Public Library

The course is targeted at adults. It aims to empower people with knowledge and skills training to identify bird species so they can do their part as citizen scientists by conducting bird surveys. More details will be shared when ready.