MYSTERY SHOPPER
RIVER TALES
Jennifer Harbottle explores Asia’s fi rst river-themed wildlife park with her family to fi nd out if a day-trip to the attraction is all plain sailing
Jennifer Harbottle, journalist, Attractions Management R
iver Safari is the newest addition to Wildlife Reserves Singapore’s portfolio of parks, which includes Singapore Zoo, Night Safari and Jurong Bird Park.
Built on 12 hectares on a site next
door to the zoo and Night Safari, the premise of River Safari is to show- case freshwater habitats from eight iconic waterways such as the Amazon River, Mekong River and the River Nile. Claire Chiang, chair of Wildlife Reserves Singapore, says River Safari aims to “highlight the importance of freshwater ecosystems and inspire people to think about ways to conserve the world’s waterways.” The park will be involved in a global captive breeding programme for endangered freshwater species, like the giant river otter and the manatee. The attraction is made up of two main
experiences; Rivers Of The World, which is a series of walk-through freshwater exhibits about the animals and cultures
from each of the eight river habitats, and The Amazon River Quest boat ride, which takes guests along a 483m (1584 ft) man-made river to discover the ani- mal species that live along the edges of the Amazon. The park claims to house one of the world’s largest collections of freshwater animals, including 5,000 animal specimens and 150 plant spe- cies. It is also home to Kai Kai and Jia Jia, a pair of giant pandas that live in an exhibit along the Yangtze River zone. According to Chiang, the original idea behind River Safari was to create a sim- ple aquarium exhibit. Wildlife Reserves Singapore thought a freshwater aquar- ium would complement the offerings of its Singapore Zoo and Night Safari The fi nal concept for River Safari was
agreed in 2006. Construction of the S$150m (£73m, €87m, US$119m) pro- ject began in 2010. Rivers Of The World opened in April 2013 and the Amazon River Quest ride in December 2013.
Kai Kai and Jia Jia are star residents
THE OFFER The fi rst part of the attraction takes guests on a journey of the major rivers of the world. It starts at the Mississippi River, where you can see beavers, alliga- tors and paddlefi sh. Walking on, you get to the Congo River, home to colourful fi shes and the dwarf crocodile. At the River Nile gallery, exhibits include the fearsome-looking African tigerfi sh with dagger-like teeth, while in The Ganges exhibit, there’s the goonch catfi sh, with its reputation for attacking humans! Along the Murray River, guests can
learn how Australia is managing its river systems to stem the loss of its freshwa- ter fi sh, before heading to the Mekong River which features an aquarium with a large underwater view of mega-fi shes like the Mekong giant catfi sh. Stunning scenic backdrops of China’s highlands frame the Yangtze River exhibit where visitors can view the critically endangered Yangtze alligator and the world’s largest amphibian –the Chinese giant salamander. From here, the highlight of the walk-
The park is involved in a captive breeding scheme for species like the giant river otter 60 Read Attractions Management online
attractionsmanagement.com/digital
through galleries is the Giant Panda Forest biodome, where you get to see giant pandas, red pandas and golden pheasants. Built at a cost of S$8.6m (£4.1m, €5m, US$6.7m), it’s the largest panda exhibit in Southeast Asia.
AM 1 2014 ©Cybertrek 2014
ALL PHOTOS: WILDLIFE RESERVES SINGAPORE
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