Construction for the 2 new wildlife parks at the Mandai precinct has commenced, with the new bird park slated for completion in 2020 (about 3 years left to visit Jurong for the last time!), and the rainforest park in 2021. The bird park will be mainly themed according to geography and will include a sub-Antarctic penguin display. The rainforest park will display only South-east Asian species, and is meant to be a more rugged experience compared to the other parks. The rest of the developments such as the indoor nature gallery and hotel will open later, by 2023. New Mandai eco-tourism hub to feature global wildlife, nature
Some additional details of the new parks were offered during the recent "ground-seeding" event. You can check out the annotated map in the Singapore "Others" gallery. Some of these details are not finalized yet and are subject to change. Bird Park It will comprise 9 large walk-in aviaries - Tropical Valley, Crimson Wetlands, Songs of the Forest, Jewels of the Forest (5 adjoining aviaries) and Dry Forest; an enclosed Amphitheatre for free-flight bird shows, an indoor Sub-Antarctic penguin display, a section with individual/communal aviaries and a large children's playground. Rainforest Park North It will feature the different stratum of the Southeast Asian rainforests. Key features include the Cavern (underground recreation of cave habitats), Forest Floor and Watering Hole (ground level paths), Majesty of Trees (elevated boardwalk) and Canopy Swing (elevated boardwalk through primate exhibits). Wall of Life is an open-sided building that runs along the North border of the park and will house small exhibits of herptiles and invertebrates. There will also be adventure courses. Rainforest Park South It will house a camp site and a native wildlife rehabilitation centre. The rest of the park is meant to be viewed from "Skypods" - mini monorails that travel along an elevated track. The Skypods will pass through enclosures with free roaming large mammals, as well as predator habitats. New link to the concept video that has been re-uploaded with minor changes (images for the indoor nature-themed attraction replaced).
What do you make of the rainforest park, Zooish? Are they essentially duplicating several of the animal exhibits that already exist at the zoo/Night Safari/River Safari or do you see them moving animals like orangs and tapirs from their current exhibits to the new park and opening up space for future developments at the zoo/safari campus?
@DavidBrown There certainly will be some overlaps in terms of species between the rainforest park and the Zoo and Night Safari, and to a lesser extent the River Safari (because it holds more South American species). Rainforest park North will likely absorb some of the zoo's existing collection of Southeast Asian species, freeing up space for the zoo to expand its non-Southeast Asian collection. Future exhibits based on the Congo and Madagascar are being considered for the zoo. I don't see the zoo forgoing orang utans though, so they will be present in both parks. Rainforest park South is essentially a redevelopment of an existing section of Night Safari into larger free-range areas, and will probably absorb the animal collection from that part of the park (eg. Indian rhino, banteng, gaur, various deer species, dhole, Indian wolf). This section of the park might be open both in daytime and night time (as part of Night Safari).
As a rule you can rely on Zooish to post any big news from Singapore, as and when it becomes available.
News on the environmental measures being adopted for the Mandai development in the link below. Construction has started on the West Arrival Node and eco bridge - these 2 features will span across Mandai Lake Road. Construction for the new bird park will start at the end of the year, with completion set at 2020. The Rainforest Park will open in 2021, and the eco lodge and indoor nature centre will open in 2023. Mandai makeover: Eco-bridge, biodiversity classes for contractors among measures to protect wildlife in area
To make it clearer for those following the Mandai development: The "Mandai Park Holdings" (MPH) company was created to manage the overall development and running of the entire Mandai precinct (both upcoming and existing parks/attractions). "Wildlife Reserves Singapore", which has and will continue to manage the existing wildlife parks - Singapore Zoo, Night Safari, Jurong Bird Park and River Safari - is now a subsidiary of MPH. "Mandai Park Development" is another subsidiary company of MPH that has been created to oversee the development of the new rainforest park and new bird park, plus all the other new attractions coming up at the Mandai precinct.
