Singapore Zoo was conferred the Best Leisure Attraction Experience award in the 20th Singapore Tourism Awards last evening. This accolade is its eighth win since the inception of the awards in 1985.
This marks the sixteenth time Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS) parks have won this prestigious award, with Night Safari having won the award six times and Jurong BirdPark twice. WRS is the parent company of Singapore Zoo, Night Safari and Jurong BirdPark.
Ms Fanny Lai, Executive Director of Singapore Zoo and Night Safari, said: “We are jubilant to be awarded this accolade for the eighth time, as it affirms Singapore Zoo’s status as Singapore’s premier leisure venue. Last year we received 1.3 million visitors, marking an 8 per cent increase over the previous year. We will continue to ensure our service quality, product offerings and physical surroundings adhere to world-class standards.”
“We are repositioning ourselves to be an outdoor learning classroom for wildlife and conservation. As part of the Zoo’s transformation from a Viewing Zoo to a Learning Zoo, we have introduced greater educational and interactive elements in our habitats and programmes to further enrich visitors’ experience,” she added.
The Singapore Tourism Awards is organised by Singapore Tourism Board. It seeks to acknowledge star players in the tourism industry whose contributions have enhanced Singapore’s status as a premier tourist destination. The criteria include innovation and creativity in products and services, and service quality.
Innovations
Opened in 1973, Singapore Zoo continues to innovate and refresh its offerings. Last year, it opened new exhibits featuring giraffes, babirusas ( Sulawesi pigs), Asian small-clawed otters and even tropical plants and vegetables. It also refurbished its Fragile Forest and Elephants of Asia exhibits to offer more educational elements such as interpretive signages and discovery stations. To cater to different language needs, Singapore Zoo has also revamped its current exhibits by incorporating different languages such as Japanese and Chinese.
While the Singapore Zoo already enjoys a reputation for being one of the top zoos in the world, the park is always looking for ways to improve its exhibits and programmes. Last year, it introduced a new “Wonders of the Wild” show. This half-hour programme showcases 10 animal species of mammals and reptiles. It aims to educate the public on animal conservation matters.
New initiative to promote conservation and educational goals
Singapore Zoo continues to contribute to the global conservation effort with its captive breeding programmes of endangered animals. In 2005, it had bred about 90 animals, many of them endangered or threatened in the wild. Endangered animals at the Zoo which gave birth include the Nubian Ibex, Sulawesi Crested Macaque Cotton-Top Tamarin and Douc Langur. The World Conservation Union defines an animal as endangered when it faces a very high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future. In addition, Singapore Zoo has also undertaken numerous research and conservation projects locally and externally with local and foreign universities.
Another breakthrough project in the pipeline is a world-class veterinary diagnostic and treatment facility slated to open in March 2006. With an initial start-up cost of $3.6 million, the Wildlife Healthcare and Research Centre is targeted to be a global leader in veterinary healthcare and research, training of Zoo vets and reproductive research in Zoo animals. The new and improved facility will include a public viewing gallery that allows visitors to observe the animal surgery and treatment areas and interactive displays that will educate visitors on the work of Zoo vets.
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