50 years of caring for wildlife
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!
Singapore Zoo turns 50 this year: what were the highlights?
The Singapore Zoo was opened on 27 Jun 1973 by the late Dr Goh Keng Swee, then Deputy Prime Minister & Minister of Defence
Heads up animal lovers! The Singapore Zoo will celebrate 50 monumental years this year on 27 June with festivities lined up from May through September.
The Mandai Wildlife Group said in a media release on Thursday (18 May) that the wildlife park's golden jubilee celebrations - dubbed Golden ZOObilee - will include explorer camps, runs and behind-the-scenes tours for visitors to reconnect with its wildlife anew. The "ART-ZOO Happy ZOObilee" from 27 May to 27 August, for instance, is a fun-filled trail walk where visitors can enjoy eight inflatable and 2D animal sculptures, as well as animal interaction sessions and craft workshops.
Other activities include a two-day Wild Explorer Camp for children aged six to 10, a special edition of private buggy tour "Zoo Adventure Tour: ZOObilee" and the launch of a new "Backstage Pass – Incredible Invertebrates" tour which will give visitors a behind-the-scenes look of Fragile Forest. The Safari Zoo Run will also return under a new name "Mandai Wildlife Run" on 23 and 24 September. New race categories for seniors, health and wellness activities, sustainability-themed workshops and up-close animal interactions will also be organised. A portion of proceeds will go towards supporting conservation projects locally and in the region. More information on the Singapore Zoo's 50th-anniversary celebrations can be found on their website.
The history of Singapore Zoo
Queue for Singapore Zoo the weekend after its opening on 27 Jun 1973
The idea for a zoo to be situated near Upper Seletar Reservoir came about in 1968 — a "naturalistic zoo that takes advantage Singapore's tropical environment" was created. The Singapore Zoo was officially opened on 27 Jun 1973 by Goh Keng Swee, then Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence. It has now become world-renowned for its open-concept design.
Immersive wildlife habitats that are most popular with guests include the Fragile Forest, with 50 species of birds and mammals freely roaming the biodome, and the free-ranging Orangutan exhibit that opened in 2006. From a mere 272 animals across 72 species at the beginning, the Singapore Zoo is now home to more than 4,200 animals from over 300 species, of which 34 per cent are threatened. The zoo has also seen many significant births such as the endangered Komodo Dragon, native to Indonesia, in 2009. It was the first zoo in Asia to successfully breed it. Other notable ones include the zoo's first Orangutan birth in 1975, and the hatching of the world's first second-generation pair of Crocodile Monitors under human care in 2019.
The zoo continues to be an important member in conservation networks and is part of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) and World Association of Zoos and Aquaria (WAZA), and contributes to the conservation of various species through breeding, research and education. Currently, it participates in 58 internationally managed ex-situ breeding programmes for species like the Bornean and Sumatran Orangutans, Red Ruffed Lemur and Goodfellow's tree Kangaroo.
A walk down memory lane of Singapore Zoo's history
Dr Goh Keng Swee and Susie the Orangutan (left) and Singapore Zoo on the weekend after opening (Photos: Mandai Wildlife Group) © Provided by Yahoo Lifestyle
In celebration of Singapore Zoo welcoming close to 60 million visitors over the last five decades, here is a brief timeline of the key milestones of the wildlife park:
- 1973 - The Singapore Zoo was opened on 27 June 1973 by the late Dr Goh Keng Swee, then Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence. There were 272 animals across 72 species on display.
- 1974 - The zoo welcomed its first millionth visitor on Deepavali, about 17 months after it first opened.
- 1975 - The zoo welcomed its first orang utan birth, baby Jinak. Since then, the Singapore Zoo has had more than 44 orang utan babies, of which many went to other zoos as part of global breeding programmes.
- 1982 - Breakfast with an orang utan was launched in May. It then evolved into popular dining experience Jungle Breakfast with Wildlife and re-emerged as Breakfast in the Wild in October last year.
- 1990 - Inuka, the first polar bear in the tropics, was born in Singapore Zoo.
- 1992 - Ah Meng became the first and only non-human recipient to receive the Special Tourism Ambassador award.
- 1998 - The Singapore Zoo’s first immersive exhibit Fragile Forest opened.
- 2006 - The world’s first free-ranging orang utan exhibit opened in March.
- 2008 - Singapore Zoo icon Ah Meng passed away on 8 Feb 2008 at the age of 50. Rainforest KidzWorld opened on 14 November with a water playground, carousel and Kampung House. A newly refurbished Rainforest KidzWorld will open by the end of this year.
- 2009 - The Wildlife Reserves Singapore Conservation Fund (WRSCF) dedicated to native wildlife conservation and education was launched in July. The inaugural Safari Zoo Run, in memory of Ah Meng, was held with 6,000 participants. The zoo also welcomed its first Komodo dragon hatchling in 34 years in November.
- 2016 - Ah Meng’s granddaughter Ishta was minted as the new Ah Meng.
- 2017: RepTopia officially opened as a climate-controlled indoor exhibit showcasing the world’s most threatened reptiles, amphibians and arthropods.
- 2021 - Wildlife Reserves Singapore was renamed to Mandai Wildlife Group and the Singapore Zoorefreshed its logo. 13 critically endangered Roti Snake-necked Turtles were also reintroduced to their native country Indonesia.
- 2023 - Leading up to its 50th anniversary, the**** Singapore Zoo currently has more than 4,200 animals from over 300 species.
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).
Bird Paradise in Mandai Wildlife Reserve
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.
