Singapore is gearing up to welcome visitors to the brand-new Bird
Paradise opens in Mandai Wildlife West on 8 May, with with discounted
tickets during its soft opening period.
The attraction's previous home, Jurong Bird Park, closed on 3 January
this year to prepare for the move of the 3,000-plus feathered residents
to their new home in Mandai.
The
new Bird Paradise is a 17-hectare park with eight large walk-through
aviaries, each reflecting different biomes from around the world. These
include dense African rainforests, South American wetlands, Southeast
Asian paddy fields, and Australian dry eucalypt forests.
Not only is the park home to some of the world’s most threatened bird
species, including the Philippine eagle, the Negros bleeding-heart
dove, and the blue-throated macaw and well as the world’s largest
population of hornbills under human care.
Many of these majestic birds fly free in the park’s aviaries,
allowing visitors to see them up close. There are also feeding sessions
available for various bird species, including the starlings, African
hornbills, and barbets at Heart of Africa, pelicans at Kuok Group Wings
of Asia, and the lories at Lory Loft.
At Heart of Africa, over 70 African bird species such as Starlings and Turacos share the 1.55-ha aviary. Photo Credit: Mandai Wildlife Group
There are also exclusive tours of the Avian Healthcare and Research
Centre for visitors to observe the vets providing care for their
feathered patients. At the state-of-the-art Avian Breeding and Research
Centre, visitors can see the many conservation breeding programmes that
the park participates in, including some crucial ones for Asian
songbirds, threatened parrot species, birds-of-paradise, and many more.
In addition to the Bird Paradise, visitors can explore the Mandai
Wildlife West, a new ungated public node serving as the gateway to the
Bird Paradise and the upcoming Rainforest Wild. This area features
various F&B options, playgrounds, and public artworks.
Two anchor play areas, the Pangolin Adventure and Pangolin Hideout,
will delight children as they're asked to mimic the behaviour of the
Sunda Pangolin, a native Singapore species. There will also be
educational interpretives offering intriguing insights into Singapore's
diverse flora, native wildlife, and various ecosystems.
The Pangolin Adventure, one of two pangolin-inspired play areas in Mandai Wildlife West. Photo Credit: Mandai Wildlife Group
At the heart of Mandai Wildlife West is the Forest Gateway, an
85m-long entry archway on Mandai Lake Road that leads visitors into the
precinct. Animal rock carvings inspired by the wildlife parks depict
iconic species such as the giraffe, Malayan sun bear, Asian elephant,
and great pied hornbill. There is a 10m-tall waterfall, which is
sculpted after Indonesia’s Madakaripura waterfall to pay homage to the
region’s tropical rainforests.
The Mandai Wildlife Reserve precinct has also in place a range of
eco-conscious initiatives. These include charging stations for electric
vehicles, bike racks, recycling bins, water points for drinking in place
of single-use plastic bottles, FSC-certified and biodegradable
products, reusable bags, and more. Dining and retail options at Mandai
Wildlife West are crafted with sustainability in mind.