The main Merlion statue at Merlion Park will be undergoing maintenance works from Jul. 27 to 28, 2023, announced the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) in a media advisory on Tuesday.

While the advisory did not specify the reasons that prompted the maintenance works, it appeared that the statue had sustained a crack on its back, according to recent posts on Chinese social media Xiaohongshu.

While the maintenance works are in progress, the main Merlion statue will be covered in scaffolding and will not be available for photo-taking, according to STB.

The public is welcome to take photos with the nearby Merlion cub statue at Merlion Park in the meantime.

STB also said it would like to seek the public's understanding as the works and barricades may cause some inconvenience during this period.

Top images via 闫货货 & 老猫M/Xiaohongshu