The Singapore Zoo is Expanding!

The Singapore Zoo is expected to operate a wildlife healthcare and research centre by 2007.

The centre aims to be the first world-class diagnostic and treatment facility.

This will help the institution enhance its research in the breeding of zoo animals.

These are all in line with the Singapore Zoo's conservation efforts to breed endangered animals.

Since the beginning of this year, the zoo has successfully bred over 60 animals, 30 percent of which are endangered species.

The latest endangered new-born animal at the zoo is the Pygmy Hippo.

Less than two weeks old, zoo keepers will have to wait a couple more months before they can identify its gender.

Such new additions are significant to the Singapore Zoo because it shows the environment is conducive for the animals to reproduce.

Singapore Zoo's executive director, Fanny Lai, said: "One of the important things is we want to inspire people to be closer to nature. So nothing better than to display the animals in their natural habitat.

"But in order to display the endangered animals, it's important that we exchange our species with other institutions so that we don't capture them from the wild.

"And when we exchange with other zoological institutions, we also expand their gene pool, so there wouldn't be in-breeding.

"The ultimate thing is we bring the animals to the people for recreation, education and conservation."

The zoo is also home to other endangered species like the Falabella, which are miniature horses.

A two-month-old baby is the first miniature horse born at the Singapore Zoo.

At the primates section, the Douc Langurs are highly endangered leaf-eating monkeys from Vietnam and Laos.

And a little one, which is about two months old, is one of the latest additions to this group of 15.

Currently, the Singapore Zoo has more than 3,000 animals on display.