Jurong Bird Park and Night Safari [Singapore 2018]

The following day (if you haven’t caught on yet, basically every day after the first couple days when we needed to meet up with people, we were out doing touristy things, often with some assortment of relatives), we had another doubleheader, this time accompanied by my aunt and uncle, to the Jurong Bird Park and the Night Safari. By the time we got to the bird park, it was basically lunchtime, but we’d had a large breakfast a couple hours before, so who needs to eat normal amounts of food at regular mealtimes? The bird park is designed mostly as a big loop with the exhibits/birds accessible from this loop. We started on one side of the loop where we saw penguins, flamingos (easily recognizable as the pink birds, but turns out there are six different species of flamingos), pelicans (eight species), swans (hiding or escaped, because there were about two swans in the pond), and parrots.

Variations on flamingos, and pelicans at feeding time

At the top of the loop is an enclosed area with a bunch of small colorful tropical-like birds. After visiting these birds (and the highest manmade waterfall in Singapore), we returned to the pelicans to see them being fed. At feeding time, the pelicans all gather at a tank with a clear side. Staff members tell the audience facts about the pelicans and toss fish to the pelicans so that the birds either catch the fish in their beaks or have to dive. If they dive deep enough, the clear side of the tank lets the audience see how the pelicans’ throat pouches stretch. It’s kind of cool to watch.

Singapore's highest manmade waterfall

Then the other side of the park has large birds, birds of prey, lories, birds of paradise, and toucans/hornbills. The large birds had open enclosures like the flamingos, pelicans, and swans, but a lot of the other birds were in large cages with dense foliage that made it hard to find them. We managed to see a couple of the toucans, and a lot of branches and leaves. On our way back to the entrance, we happened to be at the amphitheater as a show was starting. This show featured some of the smaller parrot-like birds. They had them fly through hoops, there was one that spoke, and a couple of them competed to get balls into a log. After the show, we went out for either a very late lunch or an early dinner before going to the Night Safari.

The Jurong Bird Park’s name is self-explanatory, but the Night Safari less so. The Night Safari is a nocturnal zoo with an animal show, tram tour, and walking paths. Because the animals featured are nocturnal, the Night Safari is only open at night. When we got there, we first watched the show, which included some slightly uncooperative owls, a giant snake, and recycling otters. We next went on the tram tour, which circles the park while a staff member gives commentary about the animals you’re passing. The animals range from larger species like elephants, deer, hippos, lions, tigers, and bears, down to porcupines, owls, and the slow loris. After the tram, we walked a bit to get a closer look at some of the animals and to see some that weren’t visible from the tram. Because it’s night, it can be hard to find the animals at all, but enough of the animals were visible to make it worth going. It’s the kind of attraction that I feel like would be a lawsuit waiting to happen in certain places (i.e. America – it’s dark, people walk around unsupervised, some animals aren’t protected by moats/ballistic glass/electric fences), but it’s safe as long as you don’t do anything stupid, and it’s a unique experience.

Lions at the night safari