Navigating the Singapore Zoo with Kids
Part 2 of the guide to animals in the park and looking smart in front of your kids
Remember our trip to the River Safari? That was so much fun! So, this week, we’re going to the Singapore Zoo! It is much bigger, and we’ve got a lot of ground to cover. Let’s get started!
Pre-Zoo Preparation
The zoo takes about 4 to 5 hours to get through, if you spend 1 to 2 hours in the Rainforest KidzWorld (water theme park for children).
I recommend that you go in the morning; 10am or 11am would be a good time. This will give you enough time to get through all of the exhibits at a leisurely pace, and have time for lunch and playing at Rainforest Kidzworld. If you follow the route mapped in this article, then this makes good timing such that you’ll reach the zoo amphitheaters just in time for the shows to commence.
From our experience, here are a few things that you’ll need to optimize your zoo experience:
- Water bottle. You will spend a minimum of four hours walking and talking, which will need you to stay hydrated. There are water-coolers scattered around the zoo, so refill your bottles when you get the chance.
- Snacks. You don’t want your energy running low when you’re only halfway through the zoo. Bring healthy snacks (high calorie) that your kids can eat on the go. Alternatively, fruit juice does a good job staving off hunger and tiredness too.
- Swimming attire, towels and a change of clothes. Water play at Rainforest KidzWorld will get your kids absolutely drenched. But the Wet Play area is lots of fun so the trouble will be worth it!
- Hat, sunscreen and sunglasses. The sun can get brutal some days. And some days, if you’re lucky, it’s cloudy so the zoo is a much more pleasant place to stroll around. But I’d bring a hat just in case.
- Weather forecast. You do not want the rain to put a damper on your day at the zoo.
- Selfie-stick. It’s next to impossible to get a good shot of yourself and the animal exhibits behind you. A selfie-stick will do your photos a world of good. Or if you’re able to find someone to help you take pictures of your family at every exhibit, that works just as well.
In order of the exhibits you should visit, from first to last…here we go!
Zoo-rassic Park
If you like the irony of starting your journey through the zoo with extinct animals, you can begin your trip with the Zoo-rassic Park (by going through the Rainforest Walk at the entrance — not the path that leads to the False Gavial). It’s nothing much, you know, except an animatronic dinosaur and fun-facts about popular extinct animals like the Dodo bird.
For more extinct animals with which you may want to wow your little ones:
At the end of the Rainforest Walk awaits the Ah Meng Restaurant where you can grab breakfast if you haven’t eaten. Though, I would recommend eating before coming to the zoo so that you can maximise your time with the animals and maximise your money. Heads up, food and drink in the zoo are wildly expensive; meals average at S$10 and drinks start at S$3.50.
Right beside the Ah Meng Restaurant, you can find Singapore’s favourite polar bear, Inuka. This year, Inuka turned 26 — a year past the life expectancy of polar bears in captivity, so be sure to visit her.
Also to be found in the polar bear exhibit (i.e. Frozen Tundra), are the raccoon dogs and wolverines!
Beyond the polar bear exhibit lie all of our classic zoo favourites! There’s a tram stop outside of the polar bear exhibit, near the white rhinoceros exhibit, which you can take (kids love trams). The tram trail will have big cats like leopards, lions, pumas and cheetahs on one side, and zebras and giraffes on the other side. The tram has an overhead voice guiding you through the animals that you see.
However, if you choose to walk instead, you will get to take your time to read the information boards at each exhibit and spend more time looking at the wild animals. In addition, you can walk into separate enclosures like the Snake House (snakes in tanks) and Tropical Crops (a garden full of cool plants and cool plant facts).
You might be thinking, “why would I look at plants when there are lions out there?” To that I say, (a) look at both the lions and the plants, and (b) it’s really fascinating to learn about the weird/cool things that seemingly boring plants can do!
Fragile Forest
The Fragile Forest has got to be my favourite. Home to dozens upon dozens of plant, flower, insect, and animal species, this space will seem reminiscent of a fairy tale forest for your kids. Inside it, you will find ducks, mouse deer, butterflies, lemurs, and plenty of other small creatures roaming around freely. Just be mindful to not disturb any of these animals — and remind your children to be respectful of their space too!
Just before you go through the curtains into the Fragile Forest itself, you will find a small stall where a zookeeper will be showing you live insects. From harmless stick insects, to brightly coloured poisonous caterpillars, to scorpions that are very much ready to sting, this exhibit will give your kids goosebumps and an awesome learning experience.
What’s interesting is that this exhibit is also home to some exotic insects that were confiscated from residents in Singapore, some of which the zookeepers can’t name! I spotted a tank labeled ‘Unnamed Tarantula’ while I was there!
Rainforest KidzWorld
This is a must-go for anyone visiting the Singapore Zoo with children! Located about an hour and half into the zoo (less if you take the tram), it’ll give you a nice break from looking at wild animals from afar — and give your kids the opportunity to interact with domesticated animals up close!
Play with Animals
This is what your kids will get to do here:
- ride on ponies,
- play with goats and rabbits,
- watch the Animal Friends Show, in which puppies and hamsters show off their skills (Rainforest Kidzworld Amphitheatre, 11am and 4pm daily),
- and ride on ponies, did I mention pony-riding?
Wet Play Area
Water-shooting rings, sprinklers, and a water playground? Sign me up! Shin-deep pools and water features of every kind will make sure that not an inch of you remains dry! Let your kids loose in this vast water park for an hour or two of boundless fun!
If you go to the zoo in the morning, the timing will be just right that you can let your kids play at KidzWorld right before taking a break for lunch. All that high intensity is sure to work up a good appetite for some good ol’ KFC (found inside Rainforest KidzWorld).
Alternatively, if you’re not a fan of KFC and you brought your own packed lunch, you can have your lunch at any of the pavilions found around the zoo!
Walk that hearty lunch off with a stroll from the Rainforest KidzWorld to Tram Stop #1. Along the way, you’ll come across giants such as the Ploughshare Tortoise, Giant Tortoise, Komodo Dragon, and Indian Gharial. The comparatively tiny African Penguin can also be found on the same path.
Komodo Dragon
When I saw the Komodo dragon, I thought it looked like a giant, benign version of the common house lizard. That couldn’t have been further from the truth. In reality, the Komodo dragon is a terrifying killer. If you ever encounter one in the wild, run.
Komodo dragons are carnivores. Although they usually eat carrion (decaying animal flesh), they’re also known to be ambush predators. Using their keen sense of smell, Komodo dragons can sense prey from over 9 metres away. When the suitable prey comes close enough, they charge at the animal and attack the underside or throat.
Komodo dragons have flexible skulls, loose jaws, and expandable stomachs that allow them to eat by tearing off large chunks of flesh and swallowing them whole, or, for smaller prey, swallowing the animal whole. On top of this, the average Komodo dragon grows up to 3 metres in length and 70 kilograms in weight. Like I said, if you meet this giant lizard in the wild, run.
Fortunately, Komodo dragons have such slow metabolism that they can survive on as little as 12 meals a year. But that’s no reason to approach them on the off chance they’re not hungry.
African Penguin aka Jackass Penguin
This penguin is fondly known as the jackass penguin, because its call sounds like a donkey’s bray.
When you think of penguins, you may picture them in vast snowy, arctic conditions. Interestingly, African penguins actually live in sandy, rocky areas with almost no vegetation. These penguins have also adapted to higher temperatures of 5 to 20 degrees Celsius. (Most other species of penguins are adapted to temperatures that go as low as -40 degree Celsius.)
These penguins possess an incredible quality that few know about: they are excellent navigators. A study involving three African penguins fitted with tracking devices found that the relocated penguins were able to find their way back to their homes by swimming across almost 1,300 kilometers in just one month!
Pit Stop
If your kids are tired or cranky and you need to go home, this is an out right here. Tram Stop #1 is the closest you will be to the entrance of the zoo for the rest of the trail.
If you’re well and good to keep going, then walk to the Elephants of Asia amphitheatre where the highly popular Elephants At Work & Play Show will be going on.
Elephants At Work & Play Show
Watch these lovable giants perform all sorts of tricks to impress and entertain you!
Located at Elephants of Asia, the show is on twice a day at 11:30am and 3:30pm. These playful elephants will show off their talents, with a dash of mischief (first few rows will get slightly wet).
If you’ve got time to spare before the show, check out the Primate Kingdom (right next to Elephants of Asia) to watch our evolutionary cousins swing around and perch high up in their play areas! (Or, you could visit it after the show too, no pressure.)
From then on it’s generally just a walk back to the zoo exit. Incidentally, some of the most intriguing animals are on this path!
Tree-Kangaroo
Most of what we know about tree-kangaroos comes from studying them in captivity. Tree-kangaroos in the wild live very high up in trees, making it difficult to observe them.
Tree-kangaroos are very small kangaroos that live up in trees and are not well adapted to ground-dwelling.
Since their tails are often as long, if not longer, than their bodies, tree-kangaroos have to awkwardly lean forward to balance the weight of their tails when moving (hopping) on the ground. Despite their slow movement on the ground, tree-kangaroo are fantastic climbers, thanks to the claws on their forelimbs and their powerful hind legs.
Tree-kangaroos have also been reported to be able to jump downwards from heights of 18 metres or higher without getting hurt — approximately the height of a 6-storey building!
At the zoo, it may be a little difficult to tell the difference between the wallabies and the kangaroos because they’re similar in so many ways. Read on how you can differentiate them on sight:
Pygmy Hippopotamus
Fun Fact: The prefix ‘pygmy’ is an indication that this species is the smallest of its kind. Although, the pygmy hippo isn’t exactly the smallest of the hippos. Considering the fact that there exist only two species of hippos, it would be more accurate to say it’s the smaller species.
The pygmy hippo is only 1/2 the height and 1/4 the weight of the common hippopotamus. The adult pygmy hippo can grow up to 100 cm in height, 175 cm in length, and 275 kg in weight. To put that into perspective, despite being significantly smaller than its cousin species, the pygmy hippo is still taller than your kindergarten-aged kids and over three times as heavy as the average adult human.
Read more: The Animal Files
Also, check out another pygmy at the zoo, the Pygmy Marmoset. This monkey actually lives up to the ‘pygmy’ in its name. (Near Tram Stop #4)
Babirusa
These Indonesian natives are best known for their unique tusks. The long canine teeth on the male babirusa grows upwards and backwards, piercing the roof of its mouth in the process.
Like me, if you’d assumed that the babirusa uses its tusks to fight, get ready to be surprised! Its tusks are much too fragile and brittle to be any use in a fight. Instead, babirusas rear up on their hind legs and “box” each other with their front legs. To date, there is actually no known use for the babirusa’s tusks!
We’ve come to the end of our trip around the zoo. Now that you’re armed with a game plan on how to navigate the zoo with your little kids, you’re ready. Go forth and conquer your fun day at the zoo — and let me know how it goes!
Boy, I wish there were guides to the other parks in Mandai. Oh wait, there is! Check out this really useful guide to the River Safari. I don’t know who wrote it, but I hear she’s super smart. So, you should totally go and read it.
PICTURES
Pixabay
Singapore Through My Eyes
National Geographic
Singapore Zoo
Wikimedia Commons
