Wildlife Reserves Singapore has announced some of its more significant births this year in conjunction with World Animal Day. Among them are the giant otter, Sunda pangolin, Southern river terrapin and goliath palm cockatoo (P.a.aterrimus). https://sg.news.yahoo.com/photos/th...clutch-of-his-mother-photo-1412312402357.html
I have the chance to visit Singapore early next year, but I'll be limited on time. The zoo looks quite nice, but should I make it a point to see it on my first ever trip? And for anybody who's done the orangutan breakfast, would you say it's worth it? Or should I have same my time for, say, Camp Leakey?
If you have time in Singapore I would make the WRS parks a priority, probably with Jurong Bird Park #1 as it may close (and possibly relocate) in the future. That would take a day. If you are really good at coping with tropical heat and running around zoos, I think you could do the other three parks (Singapore Zoo, River Safari and Night Safari) in a single day/night, given they are all adjacent to each other. You would need to be there at opening though. If you have more time, also check out the huge aquarium that has recently opened on Sentosa Island.
If you are visiting Jurong, the newly renovated SEA aviary is going to re-open in mid-November. Potentially this is Jurong's best aviary, with a mouth-watering collection of asian species. High hopes ......
Singapore Zoo is moving towards PC management for all its Asian elephants. Currently only the adult males are managed under PC. This will be gradually implemented over the next few years to allow the necessary infrastructure to be built. But elephants rides and unprotected contact between visitors and the elephants will cease from January next year. Rumour has it that a new elephant habitat (a sectioned-off tract of natural forest) will be created as part of the Zoo expansion plans. No more elephant rides, as Singapore Zoo adopts way of caring for elephants - Singapore More Singapore Stories News & Top Stories - The Straits Times
@Zooish: So what will happen to the very popular Elephant shows? I can't imagine that they will be as great with protected contact and iron barriers (see San Diego WAP as a bad example).
From what I hear the elephant shows (or at least its current circus-like form) will be phased out once the new habitat is done. They are supposedly moving towards a less intrusive, more natural approach of viewing the elephants.
Rumour has it that another - this time a male - Asiatic lion will be transferred to Europe soon from Singapore Zoo. Should be one of the now more or less adult offspring from their breeding pair. Is the second female breeding or not (and if not why not?)?
I understand that all the 12 cubs born at Night Safari were sired by 9-year-old female "Amba". The other female "Swati" is either too old, she is 15 this year, or has already died?
I really do fail to understand why twice ex situ zoos (both Dvur Kralove and Singapore) have received a past breeding age / useless non-breeding female on a breeding loan! Really Indian zoos as well as the Indian Asiatics program have to notice and learn that cooperative agreements are not fraudulent or commercial exercises, but constitute very real conservation efforts for the benefit of the entire species!
Inuka, the first Polar bear born at Singapore Zoo, turns 24 : First polar bear born in tropics turns 24 - Global Times
I have just been checking out the latest version of the Zoo's map, and have a couple of questions (based on several presumptions!): -When did the Red River Hogs arrive - presumably these have just been moved over from Night Safari? -African Hunting Dogs and Nyala have disappeared from the map, are these still on display? -Puma appear to have replaced the Jaguar, has that exhibit changed much? These are presumably new imports, as the Night Safari animals were quite elderly? -It looks like the Gibbon Islands are being renovated, what is happening here? Will the flamingoes be retained? Presumably this will see the howler monkey island recieve a new tenant?
A more general question about the Singapore Zoo map - is there a lot of smaller exhibits dotted around the place that aren't large enough to make the cut on the map? Or is everything there, more or less?
I think the vast majority of exhibits are marked (the Night Safari map includes absolutely everything I think), but there are multiple exhibits within a number of exhibit areas - for example there are obviously many species in the Reptile Garden, Snake House, Fragile Forest and Critter's Longhouse. There are also small exhibits in the entry hut to Australian Outback, and more species further along (e.g. tree kangaroo), and more in the Rift Valley (e.g. jackal, hyrax, others). There were also some aquaria by the pygmy hippos, and eland with the rhinos, but the only standalone unmarked exhibits that I recall were tamarins and frogs near Fragile Forest.
- A pair of surplus male RRHs from the Night Safari herd was moved to the enclosure outside the Pygmy Hippo gallery late last year. - A new Hunting Dog exhibit is being built at the former Nyala exhibit. Not sure where the Nyalas went, maybe Night Safari? - The old Jaguar exhibit just had its water moat filled in with sand to create more usable space for the pair of pumas. They were formerly from the Night Safari's show; now retired and should be middle-aged/elderly. - Gibbon Island is being renovated at the moment, should be done by the middle of next month. The main purpose is to improve the water moat around the islands as it was eroding, and to shelter the entire footpath. The 2 former gibbon islands are being linked by branches and vines to provide more space for one species (either white-handed or buff-cheeked); bigger dens have been built behind the island as well. The former Howler Monkey and Red Ruffed Lemur islands seem unchanged. The Howler Monkey island was already housing Brown-headed Spider Monkeys prior to the renovation. I don't think the Flamingos will return, but I stand to be corrected.
