Update 15 Nov 2023: Singapore's Bird Paradise marks its grand opening
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Lawrence Wong, officiating the grand opening of Bird Paradise on 15 Nov 2023 at the 2,000-seater Sky Amphitheatre
Since it soft opened on 8 May this year, the park, which is located at the Mandai Wildlife Reserve, has welcomed more than 600,000 local and international visitors. Mike Barclay, Group CEO of Mandai Wildlife Group said: “I would like to thank our partners and key sponsors for journeying with us to deliver this outstanding bird park, together with a best-in-class avian hospital and extensive bird breeding facilities”. He added, “Bird Paradise and the Mandai Wildlife West public space outside of this park, are amongst the first features to open as part of our Mandai Rejuvenation Project. We have a long-term vision to transform the Mandai Wildlife Reserve into a world-leading nature and wildlife destination, to be a jewel in the crown of our City in Nature.”
Mandai Wildlife Group has also launched several new initiatives that will enrich the learning experience of park-goers and create more immersive opportunities for people to connect with the park’s animal residents and their carers. Today also marked the opening of a new Breeding and Research Centre located next to Winged Sanctuary, which features species of high conservation value. Park-goers can have a glimpse behind-the-scenes to learn what goes into caring for the park’s feathered residents. Over at the nursery, guests will get a chance to see chicks being hand-raised to maximise their chances of survival.
Discounted tickets, special activities to mark Bird Paradise's grand opening
DPM & Minister of Finance Lawrence Wong officiating the Grand Opening on 15 Nov 2023
Discounted admission tickets, commemorative items and a "glamping" experience with penguins were among promotions and activities unveiled on Wednesday (Nov 15) as Bird Paradise marked its grand opening.
The milestone event was officiated by Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Lawrence Wong, who was joined by about 1,000 guests. "Bird Paradise will pay homage to the legacy of Jurong Bird Park, but it will take it to a brand-new level," he said.
Since its soft opening on May 8, the new park has welcomed more than 600,000 local and international visitors.
Bird Paradise in Mandai opens on 8 May 2023
Roseate spoonbills at Hong Leong Foundation Crimson Wetlands aviary at the Bird Paradise in Mandai. The park is set to open on May 8 and will offer discounted tickets until May 26. PHOTO: MANDAI WILDLIFE GROUP
Bird Paradise in Mandai Wildlife Reserve will welcome its first guests on May 8 and visitors will be able to get discounted tickets until May 26. Admission will cost $38 for an adult and $23 for a child aged three to 12, while seniors 60 years old and above will pay $20, Mandai Wildlife Group said on Thursday. Visitors will pay the full price of $48 for an adult and $33 for a child from May 27. The ticket price for seniors will remain at $20.
Bird Paradise will have eight walk-through aviaries and feature two new bird programmes – Predators On Wings and Wings Of The World – which will be presented at the park’s Sky Amphitheatre. Mandai Wildlife Group said that visitors can see the world’s largest population of hornbills under human care, with many of them flying free in the walk-through aviaries, which have been designed to mimic habitats from around the globe.
“Bird Paradise is a celebration of birds and their stories and will be home to some of the world’s most threatened species – from Philippine eagles and Negros bleeding-heart doves, to straw-headed bulbuls, black-winged mynas and blue-throated macaws,” said the group.
More than 3,000 birds to be moved from Jurong park to Bird Paradise in Mandai
An artist's illustration of the Australian Outback habitat at Bird Paradise. (Image: Mandai Wildlife Group)
More than 3,000 birds and about 50 species of flora will be moved from Jurong Bird Park to Bird Paradise at Mandai, Minister of State for Trade and Industry Alvin Tan said in Parliament on Wednesday (Nov 30).
He was responding to a parliamentary question by MP Shawn Huang (PAP - Jurong) on the plans for the fauna and flora of Jurong Bird Park after it closes on Jan 3, 2023. “Mandai Wildlife Group’s detailed planning for this move includes necessary steps and measures to ensure the welfare, health and safety of the birds during the relocation,” Mr Tan added. Mandai Wildlife Group said in October that preparations for the migration from Jurong Bird Park to Bird Paradise began more than three years ago.
Over the last two years, aviaries at Jurong Bird Park were rethemed to “mirror” the new habitats of Bird Paradise, the group said. This was so they could start introducing different bird species that would be housed in the same habitat at the new park. The 17ha new park, set to open in the second quarter of 2023, will be part of new wildlife parks located at Mandai Wildlife Reserve. It will have 3,500 birds from more than 400 species in eight large walk-through aviaries which reflect different biomes, from African rainforests to Southeast Asian paddy fields.
Girl bitten by cockatoo at Bird Paradise, Mandai Wildlife Group rendered first aid
The sulphur-crested cockatoo and Ms Serene Chen's daughter, whose ear was bitten
Mandai Wildlife Group said on Sunday (June 11) that its staff rendered first aid to a girl who was bitten by a cockatoo during an outing with her family at Bird Paradise, and that it is in contact with them.
In a Facebook post on Saturday, Ms Serene Chen said she was at Bird Paradise with her husband and 13-year-old daughter on Friday when the incident occurred. "On June 9 at Mandai Bird Paradise, (a) white cockatoo attacked my gal suddenly. She was taking (a) photo of something else when that bird flew on her shoulder and attacked her ear suddenly," she added. Ms Chen revealed that her daughter's ear started to bleed "non stop". She also expressed her disappointment that the family was not attended to immediately.
In response to CNA's queries, a spokesperson for Mandai Wildlife Group said its staff provided first aid and cleaned the wound, before the girl left the park to seek medical attention. The group added that its animal care team is conditioning the parrots to refrain from perching on people. The sulphur-crested cockatoo in question has been moved to back-of-house aviaries while conditioning continues, said Mandai Wildlife Group.
Open aviaries such as Bird Paradise great for birds and visitors, but have potential safety risks: Experts
A visitor takes a selfie with a cockatoo at the Mysterious Papua enclosure during a media preview of Bird Paradise at Mandai on April 21, 2023
The new bird park at Mandai Wildlife Reserve — Bird Paradise — boasts eight open-air aviaries, where both birds and visitors can roam freely. However, with greater freedom comes increased risk: Free-flying birds mean visitors are vulnerable to the unpredictable nature of the avians.
Experts whom TODAY spoke to agreed that open-air aviaries are the best environment for birds to express their natural behaviours, while allowing them the liberty to occasionally retreat from the buzzing crowd. Also, the walk-through setting of these aviaries allows visitors to have a close-up view of the birds.
However, a large number of birds — some 3,500 — flying around the area call for more stringent safety measures, experts said, adding that visitors also need to take precautions. Last Friday (June 9), a cockatoo at Bird Paradise bit a 13-year-old girl who was visiting the park with her family. There have also been purported instances of parrots biting park signage and visitors' belongings, as seen in videos uploaded on social media. Experts said that such acts are not signs of aggression.
'The walks are electrifying': Visitors warn after suffering static shocks at Bird Paradise
"Contact with handrails/door handles may produce a naturally-occurring discharge of static energy that may be uncomfortable but is non-harmful"
For those looking to visit Bird Paradise, you might be in for a shock. Nature enthusiast and TikToker BiostuffBro recently reviewed the newly-opened Bird Paradise on May 16 but interestingly, many of the comments from netizens on his TikTok video were not about the birds. Many visitors commented about being momentarily shocked upon touching the metal railings at the park with one even saying: "The walks are electrifying".
In a response video posted on May 17, BiostuffBro shared that he did encounter a similar static shock experience upon touching the metal railings at the Nyungwe Forest Heart Of Africa aviary. Calling it a public service announcement video, he wrote: "Keep your hands away from the railings at Bird Paradise or you might be in for a shocking surprise." Biostuffbro added in his post that the static shock might be due to the lower humidity in the aviary. Another TikTok user DG shared that one should refrain from coming into contact with the metal railings at the bridges, and all metal surfaces at the park. He also told AsiaOne: "There is a sign placed at the aviary that they are addressing the issue".
On the sign, it says that "Contact with handrails/door handles may produce a naturally-occurring discharge of static energy that may be uncomfortable but is non-harmful". "Please accept our apologies while we improve this". One AsiaOne reader, who declined to be named, said that there were a couple of such warning signs spread out across the park when she was there today (May 18). She shared that a friend, who was with her at the park, experienced static shocks several times when she touched the metal railings.
Mandai: Static discharge is naturally occurring phenomenon
Visitors encounter static discharge from metal handrails at Bird Paradise, Mandai says it's natural occurrence
According to a spokesperson from Mandai Wildlife Group, signs are placed at various locations like the aviaries, hubs and rest points to let guests know that the discharge of static is a naturally occurring phenomenon which may be uncomfortable for some.
The spokesperson also explained that static is generated when guests move across the composite wood walkways, a material used outdoors for durability and anti-slip properties. The human body retains static energy, which gets discharged when in contact with metallic surfaces.
"We are communicating with the guests in our park that contact with the handrails and door handles may produce static energy," said the spokesperson. "We are working with experts to improve the experience for our guests."
Bird Paradise: 7 things to see and know
The 17ha Bird Paradise, due to open to the public on May 8, welcomed its first visitors on Friday during a media preview.
More special guests will visit the park before May 8, including Friends of Wildlife members, school educators, groups of beneficiaries and migrant workers who helped to build the park.
Here are seven things to see in the new park and know before your visit:
8 walk-through aviariesMulti-storey penguin exhibit2,000-seat amphitheatreFood and beverage optionsPlay areas for childrenNew Mandai appTicket prices
First look at Bird Paradise, Singapore's new bird park in Mandai
Most of Bird Paradise’s residents have settled in after their big move and will soon welcome visitors to their new home at Mandai Wildlife Reserve.
The park opens on May 8, and there will be a S$10 (US$7.50) discount on tickets for children and adults during the soft opening period. After that, from May 27, tickets will cost S$48 for adults, S$33 for children aged three to 12 years old and S$20 for senior citizens. Members of the public will be able to book tickets from Apr 24.
The 17ha park will operate from 9am to 6pm daily, with last admission at 5pm. There are free shuttle services within the park as well as between the Singapore Zoo and Mandai Wildlife West, which is the public area outside Bird Paradise. The River Wonders and Night Safari entrances are close to the zoo's.
We give you a bird's eye view on Mandai Wildlife Reserve's latest attraction Bird Paradise
It's a bird's world and we're just living in it.
After the big move, Jurong Bird Park has rebranded itself to Bird Paradise, which is part of the Mandai Wildlife Reserve, comprising Night Safari, Singapore Zoo, River Wonders. What should you expect at Bird Paradise? For starters, it's the largest bird park in Asia, with more than 3,500 birds across 400 species.
We visited the park ahead of its soft launch on May 8, and here's what to expect:
- Explore the wild through the immersive aviaries
- Look forward to interacting with the birds
- Learn more about the birds at The Hubs
- Food galore
Bird Paradise
Mandai Wildlife Reserve will house 20 species of Hornbills Credit: PHOTO: shutterstock/Martin Mecnarowski
The Mandai Wildlife Reserve in Singapore will gain a new visitor attraction in the second quarter of 2023 – a 17-hectare sanctuary called Bird Paradise. The move is part of larger plans to co-locate all of Singapore’s wildlife parks and other nature-based experiences together at the Mandai Wildlife Reserve. Bird Paradise will be the first of the new wildlife parks located at the reserve to open to the public. The new area will transport visitors into a colourful world that will be home to 3,500 birds from over 400 avian species.
Designed to encourage discovery at every turn, Bird Paradise will welcome visitors into immersive and naturalistic mixed-species habitats. Visitors will be able to explore eight large walk-through aviaries which reflect different biomes of the world such as dense African rainforests, South American wetlands, Southeast Asian paddy fields and Australian dry eucalypt forests. Some of the park’s most threatened species will be housed in Winged Sanctuary, a zone specially dedicated to birds of high conservation value including critically endangered species like the Philippine Eagle and Vietnam Pheasant.
In total, 24 per cent of the species in Bird Paradise will be threatened, the highest percentage listed under human care in a single zoological park. The new bird park will also have the world’s largest living genetic reserve of Hornbills under human care, with over 20 species. The site’s operator, Mandai Wildlife Group, wants to position the park as a unique destination for nature and wildlife activities. While Bird Paradise will open in 2023, development work for the rest of the large park is also well underway and the remaining features are set to open progressively through to 2025.
Mandai Wildlife Reserve
Mandai Wildlife Group is dedicated to caring for the planet and protecting animals and nature. Conservation education is intrinsic in all interactions with the Group, to inspire action for a healthier world.
Mandai Wildlife Group is the steward of Mandai Wildlife Reserve, a unique wildlife and nature destination in Singapore that is home to world-renown wildlife parks which connect visitors to the fascinating world of wildlife. The Group is driving an exciting rejuvenation plan at Mandai Wildlife Reserve, adjacent to Singapore’s Central Catchment Nature Reserve, that will integrate five wildlife parks with distinctive nature-based experiences, green public spaces and an eco-friendly resort.
The wildlife parks managed by the Group are accredited by two of the top international regional zoo associations [European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA), and Zoo and Aquarium Association of Australasia (ZAA)], and the Group is an active member of the Southeast Asian Zoo and Aquarium Association (SEAZA) and the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA).
Jurong Bird Park to close 3 Jan 2023 after 52 years
Asia's largest bird park
Jurong Bird Park, one of Singapore's oldest and most iconic attractions, has announced that it will cease operations and shut its doors after more than 50 years.
However, there is some good news. The world-famous park -- home to some 3,500 birds including parrots, flamingos, penguins and eagles -- will join the Singapore Zoo and Night Safari, as well as a new luxury Banyan Tree resort, to form an eco-tourism hub in northern Singapore. Jurong Bird Park's last day of operations at its current location will be January 3, 2023, 52 years to the day since opening in 1971. The upcoming Mandai eco hub is slated to open in 2023.
"There are many of us who joined the organization in its early days and have been here over the decades," the park's vice president Daisy Ling said in a statement on Tuesday, August 30, announcing the closure. Built at an initial cost of $2.5 million, the 20.2-hectare park draws about 850,000 visitors annually who flock to see its famed waterfall aviary, bird shows and exhibits. According to Singapore Tourism, it's the largest bird park in Asia. Since its 1971 opening, when there were just 1,000 birds from 60 species, the bird park's capacity has expanded greatly and is now believed to house birds from more than 400 species. Park officers have also been involved in several high profile rescues and rehabilitation efforts over the years.
Singapore Zoo's 50th Golden ZOObilee
Come celebrate Singapore Zoo's 50th Golden ZOObilee with our star animals and the ART-ZOO friends!
We are proud to celebrate 50 years of caring for wildlife at Singapore Zoo!
Our commitment to being a 'window to the wild' has made a positive impact on people and animals. We will continue strive to create experiences to inspire care and rally everyone to protect animals and nature.
To celebrate this milestone, we have a series of exciting activities lined up for you in the upcoming months. Come join us as a fun-filled celebration awaits!
