It has been a couple of years since I last visited the Singapore Zoo. It feels different trying to spot animals in the wild versus seeing animals that are captured and brought up by humans.
Singapore Zoo is located at Mandai Lake Road that used to be a forest where wild animals made their home. The animals’ natural habitat was destroyed to build a home for them. I guess in a small city-state like Singapore, where land is very scarce, the government has to do what make sense for the people and the country, with wildlife taking next priority.
We took lots of pictures of the animals at the Singapore Zoo. Following are some of the interesting ones mostly taken by my friend. The photos I took did not turn out well as the camera I used was not suitable for taking pictures of animals.
The False Gharial
Upon entering the Zoo, we were greeted by the crocodiles. Check out the false gharial that was surrounded by the fishes. Interesting that the false gharial did not attack the fishes and the fishes do not seem to have any fear.
The Malayan Tapir
The Malayan tapir is one of my favourite animals as they are adorable, looking like a cross between a pig, an elephant and a panda but they are actually closely related to rhinos and horses and the only tapir species in Asia.
At my previous visit, one of the tapirs was playing and running but at my last visit, the pair were busy eating.
Asian Small-Clawed Otters
How could we miss the small-clawed otters? But we almost missed them as they were sleeping cosily.
The Asian small-clawed otters are the smallest of 13 otter species in the world and they can be a noisy and playful bunch. In the wild, they make their homes along rivers and coastal waters.
Just before we left, we checked out the otters again and glad to see one of them running round and round. As usual, it looked so otterly cute.
Orang Utans
Visiting Singapore Zoo, we could not miss our orang utans, our flagship species. The Singapore Zoo is the first zoo in the world to feature a free-ranging area for the orang utans, one of our biggest exhibits and certainly the most unique.
“Timon and Pumbaa”
Timon and Pumbaa are the animated meerkat and warthog duo introduced in Disney’s 1994 animated film The Lion King. If you have no idea what I am talking about, you may have heard this song “Hakuna Matata”, a song from The Lion King. The song is based on Timon and Pumbaa’s catchphrase in the movie, Hakuna matata, which is a Swahili phrase meaning ‘no worries’.
Check out the cute looking meerkat and “snorty” looking warthog below.
The White Tigers
The white tigers are one of the star attractions at Singapore Zoo and I will not miss when visiting the Singapore Zoo. The white tigers’ habitat is landscaped to resemble a dense jungle clearing and the moat separating visitors from the tigers also serves as a playground for the tigers to swim.
At our last visit, we did not get to see the tigers swim as the weather was gloomy and most of the animals looked rather lethargic.
Guess what went through the white tiger’s mind?
White Tiger: The humans are here to see me again. So many of them are watching me. Perhaps time to get up. I am feeling so lethargic…
White Tiger: Okay, let them have a clear view of my beautiful blue eyes, white skin and the word 王 on my forehead. (王 is king in Chinese)
White Tiger: Let me groom myself before I…
White Tiger: …show them my teeth to instil some fear
Hope you enjoy the post on my visit to the zoo. The entrance fee to the Singapore Zoo is rather costly. If you are planning to visit all four parks, check out the ParkHopper ticket which offers a good deal. Alternatively, consider joining The Friends of Wildlife for annual access if you live in Singapore.
The Lowdown – The Singapore Zoological Gardens
Address: 80 Mandai Lake Road Singapore 729826
Opening Hours: 8.30am to 6.00pm daily (Last ticket sale at 5.30pm)
Admission: You will need to purchase a ticket to admit, go to store.wrs.com.sg for pricing and promotion details.
Getting there: Take the MRT on the North-South (Red) line and transit to connecting public bus services that will take you right to the park – Choa Chu Kang (NS4) 927, Ang Mo Kio (NS16) 138, Marsiling (NS8) 926 and Woodlands (NS9) 926 (926 operate on Sundays and Public Holidays only). For other alternatives, go to www.zoo.com.sg for more details.
Thank you for stopping by, happy Living for Experiences!
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Very nice. Lion cub petting in reserves is directly linked to canned hunting and poachers. https://declutteringmylifeweb.wordpress.com/2017/07/11/lion-cub-petting-is-the-ante-room-of-canned-hunting/
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The Tapir and white tiger are so cool! I went to Melbourne zoo last weekend and if you like please check out my Blog too! Thanks
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Thank you 😊
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Audrey, u mentioned the photos u took using your camera didn’t turn out as well as your friend’s photo. May I know what device is your friend using? I am a novice at photo taking. Still experimenting ways to take nicer shots.
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He is using a DSLR and I am using a point and shoot camera.
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As always, enjoy reading of your adventures of places I will likely never be! I love our Pittsburgh Zoo here in the states and this makes me want to plan a visit.
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Thank you 😊Yeah, always nice to explore where we live.
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Regardless of how nice the zoo looks, I think that the photo of the elephants is disturbing. Wild animals should not be “trained” to entertain people. On that basis I would not go there. Zoos have their place for breeding animals that may be in danger of extinction. However I think there are many issues arising from animals kept in captivity. Sorry, this is only my personal opinion and I don’t want to take away from your lovely photos!
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No worries. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and you are not wrong.
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Thanks Audrey!
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awesome snaps 🙂
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I’ve only been to the night safari, the zoo looks like it’s worth visiting too. I’ll keep it in mind for the next visit 🙂
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Great photography, specially the white tiger ones. Keep making wonderful photograph!
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Thank you 😊
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I enjoyed the photos, the narrative, and the humor! My favorite was the white tiger.
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Thank you 😊 Glad you enjoyed the post
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Great pics!
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Wow. We’ve not been the zoo in many years too! It has changed a lot we see from the photos.
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Hope the last time you were there was not in primary school. 😉There are lots to see. You can spend the whole day there. What I shared here is probably a quarter or less of what you see in the zoo.
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Heheh…not far from that…lol
Well probably about 7-8 years ago. We are sure lots have changed. And we only visited the river safari instead over the last 3 years. Pandas were what we intended to see…
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I love animals of every kind but not sure I like the concept of zoos … good to breed endangered species but it does seem cruel!
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Well, I am glad to see that the animals in the Singapore zoo is very well taken care of. The orang utans are very close to their zoo keepers, the young ones will follow and cling to the zoo keepers like a child following the parent. The birds are not caged and they have the freedom to fly away.
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I’m glad they are happy and well cared for … but it’s still a cage.
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