Most everyone that I know who has been to Singapore has raved about the zoo. "Don't forget to go to the zoo!", people would remind me. Well, finally I am here in S'pore, and finally, on my thrid day here, I went. Around 2:30, after returning from nearby JB, I was dropped off at the Zoo, located on a large peninsula projecting into the Seletar Reservoir. I was forewarned about the price, and so wansn't as shocked over the price as I would have been otherwise. Spending S$30 in one place might normally make me shake in my boots, but here it was going to be worth it! The price for the zoo is actually around S$15, and the highly recommended Night Safari will run about S$18, and the tram ride on the safari will run about S$6. Altogether it is a steal at S$30. With 3 1/2 hours to spend in the zoo, I figured I had ages so daudled my way along, following the well marked routes and zig-zagging between different areas.

This zoo is something else. Seldom do you actually feel like you are in a zoo. Some exhibits are in domes or aviaries and so you are actually walking amongst the animals. Brilliant. I nearly stepped on this iguana in the Reptile House, and both this guy and this guy were lazing about on the pathway, ignorant to passersby. Virtually all the other exhibits are beautifully, and accurately landscaped open habitats, with only a moat or small electrical fence to contain the animals. Most of the animals are successfully bred in these habitats, including some endangered or threatened species. They have even successfully bred polar bears and penguins. Surely that says something about the quality of this zoo... It was hard to miss seeing the breeding programs at work, as the baboons and kangaroos were hard at work.

My two attempts to see orang-utans (in Kuching and again in Sandakan) yielded only one juvenile, and so the more heavily populated display here was an exciting one to see. The fantastic size of the adult males is impressive, as is their intriguing behaviour.

I missed seeing the proboscis monkey while in Kuching (it is endemic to an island near there), so was happy to catch it here.

I somehow doubt that this is the real name for this bird...

As in the zoo in Chiang Mai (which does not compare at all) some of the best animals were not included in the displays, but were the transient and free birds and butterflies. Some beautiful ones. Here. Here. Here. And here.

I wandered around for hours, and finally it was 6 and the zoo had to close. Totally impressed so far, I explored the gift shop, then enjoyed a bit of KFC and wrote a half dozen postcards.

The Night Safari began at 7:30.

In a different part of the park entirely, the night safari features three windy walking trails past some intimate exhibits, and a tram ride to some free-ranging habitats not accessible by foot. In the growing darkness I wandered alone in the hooting and hollering forest, most of the sounds genuine, some broadcast over hidden speakers. There is a true feeling that you are walking through the raw jungle, and it is not entirely an illusion. The trails wind through heavily treed areas lit by dim lights hung sparsely in the trees. The nocturnal species are easily observed under dim light, and in most cases they are completely oblivious to the human onlookers. Perfect. Exactly what a zoo ought to be. The hyenas prowled, the bats flew, the flying squirrels glided, the tarsiers fed. Everything as it should be, and more intimate than imagined. On the tram ride, which rolls electrically in silence, you are taken through different regions of the world. The species of each region are held without cage, contained in areas with cattle-guard-like structures in the road. The tapirs were close enough to spit on (of course one mustn't spit in Singapore, it is forbidden. one of the many cameras might catch you...), and the deer foraged on either side as we glided past.

After the walking and riding the Creatures of the Night show begins. Expecting a SeaWorld-type deal with "dolphins" that jump through hoops, i was very excited to see that it was more sophisticated. Well trained animals freely roam out on the stage. The mongeese were released from one end of the 'stage' and raced in a stampede to a place where the mongoose food was hidden. Then they raced back to the trainer out fo sight. The barn owl flew on command between several trainors seated in theaudience, rewarded with food. Binturongs amble along a thick cable strewn across the ampitheatre to collect eggs in 'nests' at the centre. Otters remarkably sort a pile of recyclable garbage into three coloured bins. The whole affair was expertly organized and performed.

Finally, after about 7hours at the zoo, i headed home. From seeing tropical and marine fish in the morning and the zoo all afternoon, i think i have seen enough animals for awhile...