Finally, we visited the Singapore Zoological Gardens and Night Safari! Both tourist attractions are conveniently located just side by side each other. The former opens in the morning and afternoon while the latter opens at night only. The Night Safari located at Mandai Lake Road is the first night zoo ever established in the world, making it one of the most unique tourist attractions in Singapore and even South East Asia.
First, we made our way to the Singapore Zoological Gardens. Other than taking a cab to the place, we took a bus from Ang Mo Kio Bus Interchange. The bus ride was convenient, efficient and affordable. Upon reaching the destination, we bought our tickets at the ticketing counter which was decorated in safari-like fashion. There were many food outlets located just outside the entrance of the zoo. Some of them are fast food outlets like KFC, Pizza hut, Ben & Jerry’s and Ah Meng Café, which was specially set up in memory of the late Ah Meng. Ah Meng (18 June 1960 – 8 February 2008) was a female Sumatran Orangutan and a tourism icon of the zoo. She was smuggled from Indonesia and kept illegally as a domestic pet before being recovered by a veterinarian in 1971. She was then eleven years old and was given a home at the Singapore Zoo.
The zoo is a model of the 'open zoo' concept. The animals are kept in spacious, landscaped enclosures, separated from the visitors by either dry or wet moats. The moats are concealed with vegetation or dropped below the line of vision. In the case of dangerous animals which can climb very well, moat barriers are not used. Instead, these animals are housed in landscaped glass-fronted enclosures. There are about 315 species of animal in the zoo, of which some 16% are considered threatened species. To visit the animals, we travelled around in a tram that provided free rides throughout the day.
Next, before visiting the zoo, we went to Kenko foot reflexology for a 10 minutes fish spa. It was a refreshing experience. The first 5 minutes was extremely tickling. When the fish fed on our feet’s dead skin, it tickled a lot. It took a few of us the first few minutes to get used to it. The next few minutes were uplifting and a whole new experience for every one of us. There were 2 different sizes of fish to choose from. We chose the smaller fishes, as it was less ticklish and not painful unlike the big fishes which brings mior pain to our feets. One of us was bold enough to go try the bigger fish. Her comments after the experience were, “It is more painful and all the fishes rushes to the feet the moment my feet touched the water. It is a totally different sensation from the smaller fish.” The fish spa is known to have many benefits, such as natural exfoliation of dead skin, releasing of stress and tension, and lightening of minor scars. Therefore, we encourage you to give it a try. It is definitely worth the try!
Thereafter, we went to the Night Safari which was just a few steps away from the zoo. The Night Safari, opened in 1994, is the world’s first nocturnal zoo. The Night Safari currently houses a total of 1,040 animals of 120 species, of which 29% are threatened species.
Unlike traditional nocturnal houses, which reverse the day-night cycle of animals so they will be active by day, the Night Safari is an entire open-air zoo set in a humid tropical forest that is only open at night. It is divided into eight geographical zones, which can be explored either on foot via three walking trails, or by tram.
Touring the night zoo by tram was the route we took on our visit. It was an interesting trip as we got the chance to be near to the animals as the tram can travel within the restricted region that is not allowed during normal visits to zoo. This is an exclusive chance in Night Safari. However, cameras with flash are not allowed. People who “on” their flashes are constantly reminded to “off them”. This is to prevent the disturbance of animals as they are very sensitive to light. There may be danger as well if we alarmed or shocked dangerous animals like lions and tigers. The thought of this pushed the excitement even further as we ventured into the darkness and mysteries of animals’ kingdom quietly, up so close for the first time. The Night Safari has been the first to embrace this stimulating activity. At one point, we got off the tram to take a detour into a part where we need to go by foot. Our group decided to take a daring move to visit areas such as the homes of bats and flying squirrels, tigers, deers and some other animals. We entered into an enclosed area for bats. As the bats are allowed to fly freely, we walked through the trail with much caution. It was dark and shadowy from the trees towering filling the place with suspense, causing thrill-lovers to enjoy every moment of the walk. We also managed to see the leopards as near as only a few centimeters away from us as they were sleeping near the glass door. This certainly enhances the worth of visiting Night Safari. There is also an educational region where we get to see the fossils and skin specimens of some reptiles, increasing our knowledge towards these species. After the walk, we continued our way back to the tram which carries on with the other half of the journey. Through the trail that the tram took, we explored other animals, such as hippopotamus, bears, elephants and giraffes and anteaters. We caught them eating, sleeping, walking. Although some of the animals seemed to sense our presence but they continued with their own activities.
Though we did not manage to capture clear photos as cameras with flash are restricted, the trip is definitely worthwhile as the whole experience is very fulfilling. This place is hence highly recommended especially if you are an animal lover or a thrill seeker.
http://www.zoo.com.sg/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singapore_Zoo
http://www.nightsafari.com.sg/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_Safari
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