Standing on top of a hilltop at Air Itam near Penang Hill, the Kek Lok Si Temple is the largest Buddhist temple in the country.

But that's not the only reason why Malaysians are flocking to the temple recently though.

Tortoises galore

Image credit: The Star

The temple has reportedly seen a large number of visitors ever since the travel restrictions were lifted, and the crowd can be attributed to the tortoises that's residing in the temple.

Temple trustee Datuk Seri Steven Ooi told The Star that more Malaysians have been visiting the temple to catch a glimpse of its tortoises.

According to Ooi, there are about 500 tortoises in the temple's pond.

That's a lot of turtles!

Image credit: Malay Mail

The tortoises in the pond are made up of several species, including the red-eared slider turtles, the Chinese Pond tortoises, and the Golden Coin turtles.

Ooi revealed that the oldest tortoise residing in the temple is older than our former Prime Minister, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohammad.

“The oldest tortoise here is believed to be over 100 years old. This has created a lot of curiosity among those from outside Penang,” he was quoted as saying.

Ooi added that some tortoises have grown up to as huge as 67cm across.

A natural setting

Ooi said people are always drawn to the tortoises placed in the pond in the temple and the also enjoy the serene environment of the Oriental Garden.

According to Ooi, the tortoises were originally placed at the temple’s Liberation Pond, but in 2017, they were moved to their current location because the landscaped area, which also boasts a mini cascading waterfall, provided a more natural setting for the tortoises.

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“With the bigger space and more naturally landscaped area, the tortoises get to roam around more freely. The pond is fed with water from the hill, which is cleaner and fresher.

“We even have a water filtration system to ensure that the water is clean to create a better living environment for the tortoises,” he was quoted as saying, adding that the temple has hired a cleaner to clean the pond weekly.

Overpopulation issue

If you're wondering why there are so many tortoises at the temple, it's because for Buddhists, releasing animals is a traditional practice and seen as a gesture of compassion and a repentance for one’s sins.

However, Ooi has cautioned visitors against releasing more tortoises into the pond due to the overpopulation.

Image credit: Wordpress/An Ocassional Traveller

"We don’t encourage people to release more tortoises at the pond now as it is heavily populated with them,” he told The Star.

In fact, Ooi revealed that they had to transfer some of the tortoises to the Guan Yin Gu See Temple in Kuala Kubu Baru to keep the number down.

If you happen to be visiting Kek Lok Si Temple in the near future, remember to go say hi to our turtle friends.