Monkey at the entrance of the zoo
The Singapore Zoo is awesome! Joe and I enjoy it so much that we've visited the zoo twice. What makes it especially entertaining is that it's quite an interactive experience.
At the entrance of the zoo, there are a few different types of monkeys that roam around freely. They hop from tree to tree and allowed us to get pretty close to them for photos. I'm amazed that they don't try to escape through the front entrance (which isn't blocked off by gates or anything that might keep them in), but I suppose they enjoy the consistent feeding times and attention.
At the entrance of the zoo, there are a few different types of monkeys that roam around freely. They hop from tree to tree and allowed us to get pretty close to them for photos. I'm amazed that they don't try to escape through the front entrance (which isn't blocked off by gates or anything that might keep them in), but I suppose they enjoy the consistent feeding times and attention.
Hungry panda
The main attraction of the zoo at the moment is the panda exhibit. Two pandas, Jia Jia and Kai Kai, came to Singapore from China just a few months ago, around the time that we arrived in Singapore. I remember seeing all of the advertising and banners that promoted the new duo.
As you can imagine, the exhibit is really popular. Zoo visitors have to buy a separate ticket to see the pandas during one of the showings, and tickets sell out fast. The day Joe and I wanted to see the pandas, tickets were sold out. We got lucky because a group of guys happened to have two extra tickets (their friends left the zoo early) and offered them to us. With tickets in hand, we waited in a really long line to enter the exhibit. Once inside, we were restricted to enjoying the animals for only 15 minutes.
The pandas are housed in a really big enclosure that is temperature controlled as Singapore is too hot for the pandas. The air conditioning was a nice perk for us as well! The walkway for visitors was built above the enclosure so that we could see the pandas without having to deal with a restrictive glass wall. The bears are extremely cute. The day we saw them, they lazily walked around enjoyed some bamboo.
The exhibit also features red pandas, which were Joe's favorite animals at the zoo. The red pandas are actually free to roam around the exhibit and walk around on logs that are suspended over the tourist walkway. We were able to get really close to one, so close we could have pet it (totally wish this was an option)!
As you can imagine, the exhibit is really popular. Zoo visitors have to buy a separate ticket to see the pandas during one of the showings, and tickets sell out fast. The day Joe and I wanted to see the pandas, tickets were sold out. We got lucky because a group of guys happened to have two extra tickets (their friends left the zoo early) and offered them to us. With tickets in hand, we waited in a really long line to enter the exhibit. Once inside, we were restricted to enjoying the animals for only 15 minutes.
The pandas are housed in a really big enclosure that is temperature controlled as Singapore is too hot for the pandas. The air conditioning was a nice perk for us as well! The walkway for visitors was built above the enclosure so that we could see the pandas without having to deal with a restrictive glass wall. The bears are extremely cute. The day we saw them, they lazily walked around enjoyed some bamboo.
The exhibit also features red pandas, which were Joe's favorite animals at the zoo. The red pandas are actually free to roam around the exhibit and walk around on logs that are suspended over the tourist walkway. We were able to get really close to one, so close we could have pet it (totally wish this was an option)!
Cute red panda!
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Don't remember if this is Kai Kai or Jia Jia
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The line for the panda exhibit - and this was just our 4pm showing!
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Joe feeding giraffes
A neat aspect of the zoo is that you can follow the feeding schedule of all the animals to see them in action and even feed some of the friendlier ones. The second time we visited the zoo, we made sure to get there bright and early so we didn't miss anything. It's funny how entertaining it can be to watch animals eat. Joe and I felt like little kids as we lined up to feed the various animals or to get a good view.
We started off by visiting the elephants during their bath time. Although we didn't feed the elephants, we got a good laugh as we watched a little girl carefully give the animals fruit and veggies. I could tell she was nervous and didn't want the elephants to touch her. So, she would walk up slowly and just close enough for them to grab the food, then back away quickly.
We started off by visiting the elephants during their bath time. Although we didn't feed the elephants, we got a good laugh as we watched a little girl carefully give the animals fruit and veggies. I could tell she was nervous and didn't want the elephants to touch her. So, she would walk up slowly and just close enough for them to grab the food, then back away quickly.
Joe and I got to feed giraffes, which was cool. I wasn't sure what to expect and thought feeding a giraffe might be similar to feeding a horse. However, it was very different. Giraffes have really long tongues which they use to grab their food. The giraffes at the zoo were very aggressive as we held out bits of carrots and celery. The male giraffe in the group got greedy when it was Joe's turn to feed them and kept pushing the female out of the way.
We were slightly late to the feedings of both the kangaroos and goats, but Joe and I still had an opportunity to pet the animals. Kangaroos are super soft and super cute. This was one of the highlights of my day! Joe loved petting the goats. One in particular, which we named Atticus, was the friendliest goat I've ever encountered. He stood completely still as we pet him and enjoyed the attention like a dog. Joe tried to pester him a bit by touching his horns and I thought Atticus might nip at him. Instead, the goat kind of shook Joe's hand off, gave him a dirty look, and then repositioned himself under Joe's hand so that he could be pet in the right place.
We were slightly late to the feedings of both the kangaroos and goats, but Joe and I still had an opportunity to pet the animals. Kangaroos are super soft and super cute. This was one of the highlights of my day! Joe loved petting the goats. One in particular, which we named Atticus, was the friendliest goat I've ever encountered. He stood completely still as we pet him and enjoyed the attention like a dog. Joe tried to pester him a bit by touching his horns and I thought Atticus might nip at him. Instead, the goat kind of shook Joe's hand off, gave him a dirty look, and then repositioned himself under Joe's hand so that he could be pet in the right place.
Kangaroos are so soft!
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Joey and the joey
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Sweet Atticus
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White tiger tries to catch his meal
Some of the most incredible feedings were the ones with the big cats. While we didn't get to participate in these, we had a great view of the feedings. The zookeepers stood out in the crowd of zoo visitors and had huge buckets of chicken and meat. They then threw pieces into the animals' enclosures.
The cheetahs were really graceful as they waited for their meat and chased it down. The tigers and lions were a little more aggressive with their meals. The leapt up and tried to swat the meat out of the air. They are incredible beasts!
The cheetahs were really graceful as they waited for their meat and chased it down. The tigers and lions were a little more aggressive with their meals. The leapt up and tried to swat the meat out of the air. They are incredible beasts!
Cheetah waiting for his meal
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The lioness is ready to eat!
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Meerkats eating worms - I threw this photo in because these animals are cute
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Orangutan swinging around
Another neat aspect of the zoo is that there are quite a few animals that are allowed to roam around freely without being enclosed in a cage or behind glass. This is far different than what I've experienced in the US. I was actually quite shocked by the fact that humans can get so close to the animals and vice versa. I guess the zoo has never had a problem with this.
Near the entrance of the zoo, a family of orangutans are allowed to roam around freely (and they are huge!). They have a "playground" that looks like a high ropes course and they swing around above the heads of visitors. They can come down to the trail at any time. I can't imagine what it would be like to come face to face with an orangutan that decided to say hi to humans. I wonder if an angry orangutan has ever tried to attack anyone!
The next animal encounter we had was in the rainforest section of the zoo. This is a very large area that we had to enter through a series of doors (multiple doorways ensure the animals don't get out). Once inside, we were face to face with dozens of different animals that we could have touched, although signs throughout the exhibit said "no touching of animals." The little kids, of course, did what they wanted to. A few tried grabbing the tails of monkeys, some successful. I was nervous for the children because I was afraid the animals might bite them!
The creepiest animals were bats that hung upside down along the trail, presumably trying to sleep. I've never been so close to a bat before! During our walk a lemur leapt out in the middle of the trail and then let us follow him for a bit. This was certainly amusing! The only creature we didn't catch a glimpse of was the sloth. I was disappointed about this! Maybe next time...
Near the entrance of the zoo, a family of orangutans are allowed to roam around freely (and they are huge!). They have a "playground" that looks like a high ropes course and they swing around above the heads of visitors. They can come down to the trail at any time. I can't imagine what it would be like to come face to face with an orangutan that decided to say hi to humans. I wonder if an angry orangutan has ever tried to attack anyone!
The next animal encounter we had was in the rainforest section of the zoo. This is a very large area that we had to enter through a series of doors (multiple doorways ensure the animals don't get out). Once inside, we were face to face with dozens of different animals that we could have touched, although signs throughout the exhibit said "no touching of animals." The little kids, of course, did what they wanted to. A few tried grabbing the tails of monkeys, some successful. I was nervous for the children because I was afraid the animals might bite them!
The creepiest animals were bats that hung upside down along the trail, presumably trying to sleep. I've never been so close to a bat before! During our walk a lemur leapt out in the middle of the trail and then let us follow him for a bit. This was certainly amusing! The only creature we didn't catch a glimpse of was the sloth. I was disappointed about this! Maybe next time...
The lemur that leapt out onto the trail
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A monkey that got its tail pulled by a little boy
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Scary bat
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