Singapore Zoo
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Image:Singapore mandai zoo.JPG Singapore Zoo, formerly known as Singapore Zoological Gardens, occupies 28 hectares (0.28 km²) of land on the margins of a reservoir within Singapore's heavily forested central catchment area. The zoo was built at a cost of S$9m granted by the government of Singapore and opened on 27 June 1973.
Singapore Zoo is operated by Wildlife Reserves Singapore, along with Night Safari as well as Jurong BirdPark.
From the beginning, Singapore Zoo followed the modern trend of displaying animals in naturalistic, 'open' exhibits, i.e. with hidden barriers.
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History
Image:Singapore Zoo Tigers.jpg
The conception of the Singapore Zoo dates from 1969. At the time, the Public Utilities Board (PUB) decided to use some of its land holdings around reservoirs for parks and open recreational facilities. The then Executive Chairman of PUB, Dr Ong Swee Law, set aside 88 hectares of land for the construction of a zoological garden. So far, only 28 hectares have been developed. The 60 hectares of leftover wooded land and the waters of Upper Seletar Reservoir contribute to the Zoo, giving it a sense of natural, unrestricted space.
In 1970, consultants and staff were hired, and in 1971, the construction of the basic 50 enclosures started. Animals were collected from dealers and donated by sponsors. The Director of the Colombo Zoo in Sri Lanka was hired as a special consultant to work out problems inherent in tropical zoos.
On 27 June 1973, the Singapore Zoo opened its gates for the first time with a collection of 270 animals from over 72 species, and a staff of 130. By 1990, 1,600 animals from more than 160 species lived in social groups, housed in 65 landscaped exhibits with boundaries conceived to look as natural as possible.
Trivia
In 2002, teams of The Amazing Race 3 also came to the Singapore Zoological Gardens as part of a detour.
See also
References
- Véronique Sanson (1992), Gardens and Parks of Singapore, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0195885880
