Some people feed stray cats at their void deck, or track the otter families to ensure their wellbeing. One lady however, has gone above and beyond for the local wildlife.

A whole lot of very happy terrapins

On July 27, 2019, an auntie was spotted at Singapore Botanic Gardens engaging in some rather unusual activity.

Compared to the other visitors likely strolling around, relaxing and admiring the greenery, this lady was hard at work—cleaning some terrapins.

Armed with a green brush which looked like it was made for cleaning toilets, the lady was busy scrubbing the backs of numerous terrapins, trying to remove the algae off the surfaces of their shells.

The "heartwarming sight" was captured by one passer-by by the name of Nur Hafiza Ariffin, who uploaded the video to Facebook.

The critters, which looked to be red-eared sliders, can be seen flocking in a horde towards the lady squatting at the lake's edge, almost as if she was some sort of 'turtle whisperer'.

According to Hafiza, the terrapins would happily leave the watery depths of the lake to get their backs cleaned, and once done, would scuttle back in.

You can watch Hafiza's video here:

But please don't release terrapins

The sight of the auntie scrubbing down the terrapins is certainly a cute one, but having that many red-eared sliders, which are an invasive species, might not actually bode well for the ecosystem.

This species is not native to Singapore, and has established large populations in the wild after irresponsible pet owners release them into water bodies.

The terrapins are able to grow to huge sizes and can outcompete native species for food.

So the best thing is still to be aware of what you might be getting yourself into when you choose to adopt or buy a terrapin.

And in the meantime, we can all appreciate this auntie for caring for these creatures.

Top photo from Nur Hafiza Ariffin / FB