Jurong BirdPark

The Jurong BirdPark (Chinese: 裕廊飞禽公园; Malay: "Taman Burung Jurong"), is a tourist attraction in Singapore managed by Widlife Reserves Singapore. It is a landscaped park, built on the western slope of Jurong Hill. It is located within the Boon Lay Planning Area of the Jurong district and has an area of 202,000 square metres.

History

The idea of a permanent bird exhibit was first conceived by Dr Goh Keng Swee, the then Minister for Defence, in 1968. During a World Bank Meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Dr Goh visited its zoological garden and was impressed with its free-flight aviary. He sought to see that Jurong would be more than an industrial zone that Singaporeans would have a place where they could escape from urban life, where people could relax with nature. On 3 January 1971, Jurong BirdPark, built at a cost of S$3.5 million, was opened to the public.

The Jurong BirdPark is now a world-famous bird zoo wherein there are specimens of magnificent bird life from around the world, including a flock of one thousand and one flamingos. It is currently the world's largest bird park in terms of number of birds and second largest in terms of land area after Germany's Vogelpark Walsrode. There are over 9,000 birds of 600 species in the Jurong BirdPark. Of those, 29 are of endangered species.

In 2006, the Jurong BirdPark completed its S$10-million makeover. With the upgrading, the park now boasts a new entrance plaza, an African wetlands exhibit, a park-owned and managed "Bongo Burgers" restaurant, a Ben & Jerry's ice cream parlour, a gift shop and a bird hospital. [cite news|url=http://www.stomp.com.sg/stfoodiesclub/foodieconfidential/The%20Pecking%20Order/index.html|title=The pecking order|accessdate=2006-11-27|publisher=The Straits Times]

Exhibits

* Birds n Buddies Show: Formerly called the "All Star Birdshow" [cite news|url=http://www.sph.com.sg/news/latest/press_060614_002.html|title=Jurong BirdPark’s All Star BirdShow is now called Birds n Buddies|accessdate=2006-11-27|publisher=Singapore Press Holdings] , this birdshow showcases a large number of species of performing birds in a single act. Besides highlighting the antics of talented birds like the mimicking cockatoos, this show is also a window for visitors to the natural behaviour of birds like pelicans, flamingos and hornbills.

* Birds of Prey Show: Visitors can watch bird of prey such as eagles, hawks and falcons, who will fly in aerial loops and soar above the treetops. Visitors will also learn about falconry as these birds are put through their actions in a simulated hunt.

*African Wetlands:The new exhibit will gives visitors a more balanced eco-system display and hopefully will be able to provide a better understanding of how nature, the birds and men co-exist in this one world we call our home.

* Waterfall Aviary: The Waterfall Aviary is the world's largest walk-in aviary with more than 1,500 free-flying birds from over 60 species. Visitors may hop aboard the Panorail, the world's only monorail that runs through an aviary. Jurong Falls, which is located within the Waterfall Aviary, is the tallest man-made waterfall in the world at 30 metres high.

*Flightless Birds: in one corner of the zoo there is a section full of flightless birds.Ostriches, emus, rheas, and cassowaries are the residents of this exhibit.

* Southeast Asian Birds Aviary: Visitors can view the largest collection of Southeast Asian birds, which has over 200 species. There are large, central walk-in aviary and peripheral aviaries that house the more delicate or territorial birds. A daily simulated mid-day thunderstorm is followed by a cool, light drizzle.

* Lory Loft is 3,000 square metres large and about 9 storeys high and is the world's largest walk-in flight aviary for Lories and lorikeets, with over 1,000 free-flying lories. The entire ambience adheres to a rainforest vale of tropical Northern Australia. Visitors can offer the lories a special nectar mix and the birds will flock to them.

* Penguin Expedition: There are more than 200 penguins living in this exhibit. The five species on exhibit are the Humboldt, the Rockhopper, the Macaroni, the Fairy and the King Penguin. Visitors can have a panoramic view of the birds 'flying' underwater.

* World of Darkness: Asia's first nocturnal bird house features a system of reverse lighting, converting day to night and vice versa. On display are 60 birds from 17 species, like the Night Herons, Fish Owls and Snowy Owls. It is akin to a quiet noctunal walk along a starlit jungle path, watching birds in their nocturnal surroundings and hearing them beckon.

* Pelican Cove: Visitors can catch a glimpse of all 7 species of pelicans, including the endangered Dalmatian Pelican. There is a boardwalk, where visitors can stroll along and observe these birds. Visitors can also see the pelicans at the world's first underwater viewing gallery for pelicans, where the birds scoop for fish at feeding time.

* Lunch with the Birds: Visitors can enjoy a beautiful view of the Flamingo Lake while they feast on local delights.

* Panorail: The Jurong BirdPark Panorail is the world's only monorail system that runs through an aviary. The panorail has three stations, namely Main Station, Lory Station and Waterfall Station. The monorail system uses three cars, with a driver in the front car, and seats in each car, with no standing capacity.

Awards

Awarded to Jurong BirdPark [cite news|url=http://www.birdpark.com.sg/corporate/ourawards.html|title=Jurong BirdPark's awards|accessdate=2007-04-28|publisher=Jurong BirdPark]
*Aseanta 2004, 2007 Excellence Awards
*Best Loved Pro-Family Businesses 2006
*Superstar Winner of the 2004 Excellent Service Awards (Leisure attractions)
*Tourism Host of the Year 2003 - Leisure Attraction

See also

* Singapore Zoo
* Night Safari
* Singapore Botanic Gardens

Notes

References

Sources

* Véronique Sanson (1992), "Gardens and Parks of Singapore", Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-588588-0

External links

* [http://www.birdpark.com.sg Jurong BirdPark official site]
* [http://www.birdpark.com.sg/visitorinfo/parkmap.html Map]
* [http://www.birdpark.com.sg/visitorinfo/admpkg_parkhopper.html Admission Prices] (Complementary with some Stopover Deals) [ [http://www.singaporeair.com/saa/en_UK/content/local/AU/promotions/ssh_au.jsp Singapore Airlines ] ]
* [http://www.visitsingapore.com/publish/stbportal/en/home/what_to_see/animal_kingdom/jurong_birdpark.html Uniquely Singapore website]

Public Bus Services

Service 194 from Boon Lay Bus Interchange goes here.

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