Having for years been a must-visit for families with young children — this group forms the bulk of the zoo's visitors — Chiang says she hopes to revitalise the WRS's oldest wildlife park (the others being the Night Safari, the River Safari and Jurong Bird Park) to more closely cater to an increasingly tech-savvy younger generation.
"We have to work harder, I feel, at the teenagers, and that's where your social media (comes in), your interactive way of bringing the zoo to that level… so youth will feel that this is also a learning laboratory," said Chiang, who spoke on the sidelines of a celebration of the Zoo's 40th birthday on Thursday.
"The future zoo for Singapore… has to be interactive, because the X, Y generation that grew up with all these gadgets would like immediately to have access to information," she said. For instance, she said that a journey through the zoo has to be an immersive one, making visitors feel like they are experiencing the rainforest, instead of simply walking through the park as a passive observer.
"We have a lot of game(s), 'press-button and then information coming out', and when you're looking at an exhibit there will be a lot of questions and answers, and there will be a lot of classroom sessions where next to your exhibit you have someone to tell the story of the animal," she explained.
"(It's) interactive in a sense not that it is gadgety, but in the process of me understanding the animals… it enhances my understanding of the role of man (in nature)," she continued. "It is actually using all your senses in an exhibit to touch and feel the exhibits; that's what it means by immersive."
Chiang also said the new Zoo will have to have "a high level of educational entertainment", as well as a high level of social media impact and effect.
"So it's going to be leveraging on technology, and using the resources that we have to recreate an experience of nature that hits the mind, the heart and the soul, and it is fun," she said.
Need to ensure zoo's future
In view of this push to attract more young people to the zoo, Chiang also shared her concern of leadership renewal for the future.
She explained that the zoo is currently a treasure trove of information that needs to be collected and archived. For example, there is a lot of knowledge that resides in a number of zookeepers who have worked with the zoo since its beginnings.
"They (the veteran zookeepers) have… all the best practices. I really wish more young Singaporeans will see this, the veterinary sciences, as well as zoo management and animal care, become their career path," she said.
"Our universities should beef up more on environmental science, as well as animal care and husbandry and veterinary sciences," she added. "So the leadership issue for the future is a challenging one, and I appeal to young Singaporeans to come and join us because this is a vocation of its own — unique and interesting."
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