Crowds flock to Jurong Bird Park ahead of last day of operations on Jan 3

When social worker Jed Wong was 25 and staying overnight at the penguin enclosure at the Jurong Bird Park as part of a camp he organised for children, he thought the park would be a fun spot for a date with his girlfriend.

He took his girlfriend of several years there, where they got up close and personal with talking parrots.

Ten years later, they are married and back at the park with their two sons, aged 10 months and 2½ years, on the last weekend ahead of its last day of operations on Jan 3.

“The kids enjoy the shows and water play,” said 31-year-old Ezabella Seitoh, who is a housewife. “But I’m happy the bird park is moving to (Mandai Wildlife Reserve) because we stay in Yishun.”

It will join the Singapore Zoo, River Wonders and Night Safari there, as well as Mandai’s other upcoming attractions, including Rainforest Wild and a new resort operated by Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts.

For Ms Mary Chee who came to the park with her friend on Saturday, the bird park was the last attraction she visited with her parents 25 years ago, before her mother died a few months later.

The customer service officer, who is single and in her 50s, recounted taking her late parents there on a company-sponsored Family Day outing 25 years ago.

Ms Chee said it was a rare occasion and a memorable one, as she had not often been able to spend time with her parents at local attractions. 

“I remember my mum was very happy when she opened the lunch box (provided by the company) and there was chicken wing,” she added.

When The Straits Times visited the park at 9am on Saturday, it was a hive of activity, with a steady stream of visitors, both local and foreign.

The first Kings Of The Skies presentation at 10am, featuring eagles, vultures and an owl, saw seats packed and many other visitors watching from outside the arena.

Visitorship to the Jurong Bird Park, which has welcomed more than 40 million guests since it opened in 1971, has almost doubled since its closure date was announced in August, said its operator Mandai Wildlife Group.

At its peak, the park had over 8,000 visitors in a single day on Dec 26 – four times the daily average of about 2,000.

Tickets were priced at just $10 from Nov 19 to Jan 3 following the announcement of the park’s closing. 

Several people, who recounted visiting during a primary school excursion, took a trip down memory lane on Saturday with their children in tow.

They came from all corners of Singapore.

“The kids woke up at 6am because they know we’re going to the bird park today,” said 36-year-old shipping executive Amerlyn Wong, who turned up with her husband and children, aged two and five. The family of four live in Punggol.

“It’s our first time, and also our last,” she added.

Some visitors, such as Mr Waleed Al Ali from the United Arab Emirates, were surprised to learn that the attraction was closing in days.

It was the civil servant’s last day of his one-week holiday in Singapore with his wife and six children, aged three to 11.

He said his brother-in-law back home kept a dome with different kinds of parrots – from Asian to Brazilian types – which his children love, and they were excited to see other species of birds.

“The kids really like Singapore now,” he added.

After its closure, the 20ha park’s about 130 employees and about 3,500 birds will prepare to move to Bird Paradise in Mandai Wildlife Reserve.

Mandai Wildlife Group said in October that preparations for the move from Jurong Bird Park to Bird Paradise started more than three years ago.

Over the last two years, aviaries in the bird park were rethemed to mirror the new habitats in Bird Paradise. This was so they could start introducing different bird species that would be housed in the same habitat at the new park that is set to open in the second quarter of 2023.

Conditioning enclosures were placed in aviaries to allow the birds to get used to them.

The birds will be transported to Mandai in these enclosures over a few months, the group said.

It added that the move is a “massive undertaking” and more than 100 steps need to be taken to complete the transfer of each batch of birds.

“Upon release into their new homes, the birds will be closely monitored to ensure they are adjusting well and given sufficient time to settle into their new environments,” it said.

Ms Chee said: “Jurong Bird Park, the location and the memories made here will be missed.”

5 milestones in 52 years of Jurong Bird Park

Singapore’s oldest wildlife park will close after Jan 3 and relocate to Bird Paradise in Mandai Wildlife Reserve. Here are five milestones in its 52-year history.

In 1988, the Fuji Hawk Centre, now known as Hawk Arena, was officially launched. The Kings Of The Skies presentation was introduced, showcasing the natural behaviours of raptors such as the bald eagle, brahminy kite and Himalayan griffon vulture.

In 2010, the penguin exhibit underwent a major upgrade and was renamed the Penguin Coast. During the revamp, an outdoor exhibit was also built specially for the African penguins to swim in the pool or retreat to their air-conditioned den. Found only on the south-western coast of Africa, the African penguins are perfectly adapted to cool or warm temperatures.

In 2018, 60 rescued Santa Cruz ground doves were taken to Jurong Bird Park by the joint efforts of zoos globally to form the world’s first assurance colony of the endangered species outside their native range. Breeding efforts saw the initial flock grow to more than 90, with the ultimate goal of returning them to their native Solomon Islands to replenish the wild population.

In 2019, a pair of Philippine eagles arrived under a wildlife loan agreement with the Philippine Department of Environment and Natural Resources in collaboration with the Philippine Eagle Foundation. The arrival of the pair, named Geothermica and Sambisig, marked the first time that the species had been sent outside their native country.

In 2021, a rare wild cinereous vulture captured national attention when it veered off its usual migratory path and landed in Singapore near the Botanic Gardens. Despite having no visible injury, the heavy bird was found in a weakened state and unable to fly. After receiving veterinary care at the Jurong Bird Park’s hospital, the vulture eventually managed to take flight, with encouragement from park staff.