Singapore Zoo celebrates 45 wild years with Rainforest Lumina

While the seasonal event debuts in July, fans of Singapore Zoo can already begin celebrating the Zoo’s 45^th anniversary by end May. A slew of fun-filled activities will take guests on a journey to fall in love with the Zoo again. Start by discovering 45 things you never knew you could do, and enjoy some family bonding over the popular Zoolympix, a movie in the wild, or an overnight camp complete with a roaring campfire!

Southeast Asia’s first multimedia night walk experience— “Rainforest Lumina”

Rainforest Lumina will invite guests to explore a one kilometre stretch of Singapore Zoo’s tropical rainforest at night and be treated to a mesmerising visual experience created by multimedia entertainment studio Moment Factory.

The unique multimedia experience of Rainforest Lumina is in perfect complement to this rich natural backdrop, offering visitors the opportunity to be inspired by the wonders of nature as they discover the rainforest by night, when the animals are asleep.

Look out for a quirky group of unlikely heroes, known as the Creature Crew who invites you to join their whimsical adventure as you peek through the vines and meander along the paths of their enchanted world.

Forty-five things to mark 45 wild years at Singapore Zoo

While waiting for the excitement of Rainforest Lumina to unfold, spend some time falling in love with Singapore Zoo again this June holiday season. Discover 45 things that will help put Singapore Zoo in a new light, from an angle not many will be familiar with. Look for the bronze statue of the original Ah Meng (and the D24 durian tree nearby, a tribute to the late orangutan’s love for the fruit), find out the best time to catch sight of the handsome family of free-ranging Javan langurs, and get hints on where to look for wild colugos within the Zoo! Other fun-filled activities include the ever popular Zoolympix, animal-themed movies in the wild, picnics in the park, and even snooze under the stars during the much sought-after Sleep with the Beasts programme.

In conjunction with SZ’s 45^th anniversary, for every adult ticket purchased, the next adult or child ticket comes with a 45 per cent discount.

Mr Mike Barclay, Group CEO of Mandai Park Holdings, said, “We have come a long way over the last 45 years, evolving from an open concept zoo to one that is immersive, with a healthy and diversified wildlife collection. We strive to continue with the pioneering spirit of our founders by bringing meaningful wildlife experiences to Singapore in novel ways. Rainforest Lumina is a new chapter for us, bringing an exciting multimedia night walk experience to Singapore Zoo.”

Activities at Singapore Zoo	Details
‘U-dunno-meh?’ Checklist Featuring 45 things you never knew you could do at Singapore Zoo! Amongst the list includes petting a ferret and greeting our baby rhino.	Date: 27 May – 26 Jun Time: 8.30am – 6pm Venue: All over the Zoo!
Movies in the Wild It’s going to be a wild experience watching your favourite animal films knowing they are around you. Don’t miss out!	Date: 26 & 27 May Venue: Pavilion by the Lake
Picnic in the Park Set up your mat at our perfect picnic spot and groove to the hottest hits from the local bands.	Date: 2 & 3 June Venue: Pavilion by the Lake
Break Out! Performance Catch our flash mob performers around the park as they wow the crowd with their moves.	Date: 9 & 10 June Venue: Secret!
Bubbles, Bubbles and MORE BUBBLES You can’t say no to bubbles. POP over and get ready for a mesmerising bubble performance.	Date: 15 – 17, 24 & 25 June Venue: Rainforest Kidzworld
Zoolympix Singapore Zoo’s June staple this year is a family affair! Learn all about our animals as you complete the activity missions to earn exclusive badges.   Activities are recommended for children from 4 years old.	Date: 26, 27 May, 2, 3, 9, 10, 15, 16, 17, 23, 24 June (weekends and Hari Raya public holiday) Time: 10am – 4pm Venue: Various   Fee: $4 to participate ·     Zoolympix booklet with lanyard available at headquarters opposite Zoo retail shop ·     Registration closes at 3.30pm
Sleep with the Beasts Pounce on Camp Fest 2018 at Singapore Zoo this May! Make a date with our animal friends over a weekend at Singapore Zoo, and fall asleep under the stars to the distant roar of the lion.   Highlights: o   Sleeping under the stars o   Behind-the-scenes tour and animal encounters o   Evening campfire o   Ulu Asian buffet dinner and breakfast at Forest Lodge	Date: 26 - 27 May Time: 3.30pm – 11.00am (next day) Venue: Singapore Zoo   Cost: $190 per adult $160 per child
Rainforest Lumina (Seasonal attraction) Pull the vines aside and meander along the path to where a lush and luminous universe awaits you.   Meet the Creature Crew, a quirky group of unlikely heroes who invites you to join their whimsical adventure. The Creature Crew believes that every species has the power to give back to the rainforest: nature, animals and humans too. Their motto, ‘We Are One’, means that everyone has a special role to play, even you!   Come play, sing and discover their enchanted world. For wherever the Creature Crew roams, the rainforest blooms with wonder.	Date: 1 July onwards Time: 7.30pm – 12.00am (last entry at 10.30pm) Venue: Singapore Zoo   Cost: $22 per adult $16 per child   Note: Online discounts available. Please check website for details www.rainforestlumina.sg

 Notes:    Normal park admission rates apply for June holiday activities

              Singapore Zoo: $35.00 (adult) and $23.00 (child 3 to 12 years)

More information on Rainforest Lumina at www.rainforestlumina.sg

More information on the June holiday activities at www.zooturns45.sg

APPENDIX

Singapore Zoo’s transformation over the years

Opened in 1973 as one of the world’s first open concept zoos, Singapore Zoo brought to Singaporeans the experience of viewing majestic African safari staples such as giraffes, lions, and hippos in a natural setting, sans cages. That early concept was soon joined by other innovations like glass-fronted galleries which allow guests to get up close with beautiful but dangerous carnivores like leopards, to underwater viewing of aquatic animals like sealions and pygmy hippos showing off their gracefulness in their watery realms.

Seeking to allow guests to fully immerse in the world of the animals they encounter, Fragile Forest was launched in 1998 where guests enter a biodome, right into a miniature rainforest where they would share the same space with numerous creatures like lemurs, mousedeer, bats, birds and sloths. At the time, the 20,000 cubic metre flight area was the world’s largest.  At the turn of the millennium, Singapore Zoo transported her guests to ‘wild places’ of the world including The Great Rift Valley of Ethiopia (2001) where guests got to visit two native villages, say hello to the famous Lucy in a paleontological dig, en route to viewing a troupe of over 100 Hamadryas baboons frolicking, quarrelling, and relaxing amidst cliffs and waterfalls.

From being the first zoo in the world to showcase monkeys on narrowly
moated islands in the 90s, relying mostly on ‘psychological barriers’
to keep the primates on their habitats, Singapore Zoo went on to have
selected peaceful monkeys freely roaming within the park. The ultimate
development of this concept led to another world first in 2006 when we
allowed the Zoo’s flagship primate—orangutans—to swing from trees to
trees above guests walking beneath them.

Newer exhibits at the Zoo provide greater opportunity for interaction beyond the traditional animal feeding sessions. An example is RepTopia (2017), a swanky haven for over 60 of the world’s most threatened reptiles, amphibians and arthropods (animals without backbones). Guests to RepTopia can also get a rare insight into the work that goes into caring for these animals at the behind-the-scenes facility, which features glass walls that allow passers-by a complete view of the hatchery and the areas within the keeper workspace.  With the onset of technology, guests are able to enjoy an added layer of experience in Singapore Zoo – interpretive which serve to provide more information have gone digital, seen in the form of infrared sensors and touchscreen interpretive that encourage learning through play.