Singapore River Safari opens to public on April 3rd
River-themed wildlife park River Safari will open its doors to the public in a soft opening on 3 April.
The 12-hectare park, which is situated at Mandai between the Singapore Zoo and Night Safari, will feature some 150 plant species and 300 animal species.
Built at a cost of S$160 million, visitors will be able to explore eight types of river habitats including the Mississippi, Nile, Amazon, Ganges and Yangtze rivers.
Creature exhibits include the Giant Salamander, the Mekong Giant Catfish and the Giant River Otter, the world's largest otter which can grow up to 1.8metres in length.
On how park management selected its animals for display, assistant director of zoology Ang Cheng Chye said the process boils down to certain criteria.
"Of course we look at iconic animals, those (that) people associate with the zone, the river, and of course when you talk about rivers, you must have fish... (so) we have fish, we have crocodiles, animals that hunt by the water, giant river otters," he said. "The other selection is based on their status -- the endangered animals, we want to have some of them so we can educate the public about the threat to freshwater life, the whole freshwater ecosystem."
Ang also shared that only about 12 per cent of the animals at River Safari were brought over from the Zoo and the Night Safari -- the rest are "new" ones, either given to the River Safari as donations or brought in from zoos overseas, some on exchange with animals unique to the Zoo.
The giant panda forest, which houses Kai Kai and Jia Jia and which has been open late last year, are also part of the main attractions, along with the world's largest freshwater aquarium, the Amazon Flooded Forest.
Director of exhibit design and development at the River Safari Cham Tud Yinn also noted the educational and ecological importance of the River Safari.
"We are surrounded by a freshwater habitat, and we felt that freshwater habitats are highly endangered, more so than rainforests," he said. "It's the best platform for us to show the plight of this environment, how fragile freshwater systems and animals are so in this, we hope to show people these rare endangered animals, and learn to care and conserve them."
Riverboat rides and other major exhibits at the park will be opened at a later date.
Entrance fees during the soft opening phase will cost S$25 for adults and S$16 for children. Senior citizens enjoy a special discounted price of S$12.50.
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