The Jurong Bird Park (Chinese: 裕廊飞禽公园; Malay: Taman Burung Jurong; Tamil: ஜுரோங் பறவை பூங்கா), is a tourist attraction in Singapore managed by Wildlife Reserves Singapore. It is a landscaped park, built on the western slope of Jurong Hill. It is located within the Boon Lay Planning Area of the Jurong district and has an area of 202,000 square metres.
History
The idea of a permanent bird exhibit was first conceived by Dr
Goh Keng Swee, the then Minister for Finance, in 1968. During a
World Bank Meeting in Rio de Janeiro,
Dr Goh visited its zoological garden and was impressed with its
free-flight aviary. He sought to see that Jurong would be more than
an industrial zone that
Singaporeans would have a place where they could escape from urban
life, where people could relax with nature. On 3 January 1971,
Jurong Bird Park, built at a cost of S$3.5 million, was opened to
the public.
The Jurong Bird Park is now a world-famous bird zoo wherein
there are specimens of magnificent bird life from around the world,
including a flock of one thousand and one flamingos. It is
currently the world's largest bird park in terms of number of birds
and second largest in terms of land area after Germany's Vogelpark
Walsrode. There are over 8,000 birds of 600 species in the Jurong
Bird Park. Of those, 29 are of endangered species.
In 2006, the Jurong Bird Park completed its S$10-million
makeover. With the upgrading, the park now boasts a new entrance
plaza, an African wetlands
exhibit, a park-owned and managed Bongo Burgers restaurant,
a Ben & Jerry's ice cream parlour, a gift shop and a bird hospital.
Exhibits
-
Birds n Buddies Show: Formerly called the "All Star
Birdshow", this birdshow showcases a large number of species of
performing birds in a single act. Besides highlighting the antics
of talented birds like the mimicking cockatoos, this show
is also a window for visitors to the natural behaviour of birds
like pelicans, flamingos and
hornbills.
-
Birds of Prey Show: Visitors can watch birds of prey
such as eagles, hawks and falcons, who will fly
in aerial loops and soar above the treetops. Visitors will also
learn about falconry as these birds are put through their actions
in a simulated hunt.
-
African Wetlands:The new exhibit will give visitors a
more balanced eco-system display and hopefully will be able to
provide a better understanding of how nature, the birds and men
co-exist in this one world we call our home. Species here include
Shoebill stork, saddle-billed stork, and a few species
of African fish.
-
African Waterfall Aviary: The African Waterfall Aviary
is the world's largest walk-in aviary with more than 1,500
free-flying birds from over 50 species. Visitors may hop aboard the
Panorail, the world's only monorail that runs through an aviary.
Jurong Falls,
which is located within the African Waterfall Aviary, is the
world's tallest man-made waterfall in an
aviary at 30 metres high. Species include golden-breasted starling, turacos,
and the hoopoe.
-
Flightless Birds: in one corner of the zoo there is a
section full of flightless birds. Ostriches, emus, rheas, and
cassowaries are the residents of this exhibit.
-
Southeast Asian Birds Aviary: Visitors can view the
largest collection of Southeast Asian birds, which has over 200
species. There are large, central walk-in aviary and peripheral
aviaries that house the more delicate or territorial birds. A daily
simulated mid-day thunderstorm is followed by a cool, light
drizzle. Territorial species are kept in large cages, while species that
can coexist with each other (Fruit doves and pigeons being a
example)are left to fly free in the aviary.
-
Lory Loft is 3,000 square metres large and about 9
storeys high and is the world's largest walk-in flight aviary for
Lories and lorikeets, with over 1,000 free-flying lories. The
ambience is similar to that of a rainforest vale
in tropical Northern Australia. Visitors can offer the lories a
special nectar mix and the
birds will flock to them.
-
Penguin Expedition: There are more than 200 penguins living in
this exhibit. The five species on exhibit are the Humboldt, the
Rockhopper, the Macaroni, the Fairy and the King Penguin. Visitors
can have a panoramic view of the birds 'flying' underwater. Beside
them, a viewing platform for puffins can be found.
-
World of Darkness: Asia's first nocturnal
bird house features a system of reverse lighting, converting day to
night and vice versa. On display are 60 birds from 17 species, like
the Night Herons, Fish Owls, boobook owls and Snowy Owls. It is
akin to a quiet nocturnal walk along a starlit jungle path, watching
birds in their nocturnal surroundings and hearing them beckon.
-
Pelican Cove: Visitors can catch a glimpse of all 7
species of pelicans, including
the endangered Dalmatian Pelican. There is a boardwalk, where
visitors can stroll along and observe these birds. Visitors can
also see the pelicans at the world's first underwater viewing
gallery for pelicans, where the birds scoop for fish
at feeding time.
-
Lunch with the Birds: Visitors can enjoy a beautiful
view of the Flamingo Lake
while they enjoy breakfast.
-
Panorail: The Jurong Bird Park Panorail is the world's
only monorail system that runs through an aviary. The panorail has
three stations, namely Main Station, Lory Station and Waterfall
Station.
list of birds in Jurong
Birdpark
-
rollers
- marabou stork
- yellow billed stork
- brown pelican
- black swan
- mute swans
- superb starling
- rainbow lorikeet
- white bellied sea eagle
- scarlet ibis
- toco toucan
-
macaws
- shoebill stork
- mandarin ducks
- bali myna
- hill myna
- barn owl
- great grey owl
- night herons
- red crested cardinal
- lesser bird of paradise
-
spoonbills
- fairy penguin
- macaroni penguin
- king penguin
- crowned pigeons
- indian pied hornbill
- ostrich
- crowned cranes
- egrets
- turacos
- carmine bee-eater
- white faced tree duck
- barbets
- whydahs
- weaver birds
- purple glossy starling
- lesser blue eared starling
- wattled starling
- Yellow-hooded Blackbird
- tanagers
- emu
- great white pelican
- saddle-billed stork
- rheas
- cassowary
- black hornbill
- eclectus parrot
-
cockatoos
- yellow-naped amazon parrot
- sun conure
- Australian pelican
- black-necked swan
- 12-wired bird of paradise
- lesser whistling duck
- stone curlew
- fish owls
- boobok owls
Awards
Awarded to Jurong Bird Park
- ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001
- Aseanta 2004, 2007 Excellence Awards
- Best Loved Pro-Family Businesses 2006
- Superstar Winner of the 2004 Excellent Service Awards (Leisure
attractions)
- Tourism Host of the Year 2003 - Leisure Attraction
See also
References
- Véronique Sanson (1992), Gardens and Parks of Singapore,
Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-588588-0
External
links
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Coordinates:
Transport
To get to the Jurong Bird Park, visitors would have to take the
Mass Rapid Transit to Boon Lay MRT Station and transfer Service 194
or 251 from Boon Lay Bus Interchange.
Service |
Destination |
Notes |
SBS Transit
Trunk Services |
194 |
Boon Lay Bus Interchange |
251 |
Boon Lay Bus Interchange |
Loops at Benoi Rd |