Night Safari

We had a great weekend to finish up Spring Break holiday over here. The highlight was going back to the Singapore Zoo for the Night Safari. They claim to be the world's first wildlife park designed entirely for night visits and I'll take their word for it because I've never encountered it elsewhere.


We met the O'Shea family for dinner at the zoo and entered the Night Safari when it opened at 7pm. First on our list was the Creatures of the Night show where they featured wolves, otters, exotic cats and one really huge python. The otters were quite entertaining, although their "fragrance" was less than desirable! The trainers aim for audience participation and at one part of the show they acted like they had lost an animal and kept calling for "Meggie." They asked everyone to look in their purses and check under the benches. The trainers ended up pulling a python (Meggie, of course) from underneath a wooden lid in the middle of the seating area. I'm so thankful that Meggie wasn't hiding below my feet during the show or I would have had nightmares for days! The kids loved it.


Following the show, we boarded a tram that took us quietly through the jungle to view the animals in the dark. They didn't allow flash photography so I have no decent pictures to share but it was a great experience. We saw tigers, lions, elephants, giraffes, many types of deer, hyenas, all out and about in the night. It was amazing to see animals eating and wandering around when we've always thought of zoo animals being "put up" for sleep at these hours. Actually, 90 percent of the tropical animals are nocturnal so they're more likely to be active in the dark. The park's design makes it feel like there's no barrier between you and the animals and in some cases, there isn't. The deer roam around and at times, animals are right next to the tram. Just driving quietly through a jungle at night with very little lighting is a rare experience. It was cool and the kids really enjoyed it as well. I was a little worried about keeping Emily out so late but once she saw animals, she was fascinated. The grown-ups decided that it would be fun to return sometime without the kids because it's open until midnight and they have several walking trails that you can take to see even more wildlife.


We will definitely return to the Night Safari because it offers a unique perspective of the animals and apparently we can only find it in Singapore!