River Wonders, formerly known as River Safari, is a river-themed

zoo A zoo (short for zoological garden; also called an animal park or menagerie) is a facility in which animals are kept within enclosures for public exhibition and often bred for conservation purposes. The term ''zoological garden'' refers to z ...

and

aquarium An aquarium (plural: ''aquariums'' or ''aquaria'') is a vivarium of any size having at least one transparent side in which aquatic plants or animals are kept and displayed. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, aq ...

located in Mandai,

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...

, forming part of the Mandai Wildlife Reserve. It is built over and nestled between its two counterparts, the

Singapore Zoo The Singapore Zoo, formerly known as the Singapore Zoological Gardens or Mandai Zoo, is a zoo located on the margins of Upper Seletar Reservoir within Singapore's heavily forested central catchment area. Opened in 1973, the zoo was built at a ...

and the Night Safari, Singapore. It is the first of its kind in

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...

and features freshwater exhibits and a river boat ride as its main highlights. The safari was built at a cost of S$160m, with an expected visitor rate of 820,000 people yearly. The Giant Panda Forest was opened to the public on 29 November 2012, with a soft opening on 3 April 2013, attracting close to 1,500 visitors. This attraction is the fourth zoo in Singapore, along with the

, Jurong Bird Park, and Night Safari, all of which are managed by Mandai Wildlife Reserve. The park was officially opened on 28 February 2014, and it was announced that more than 1.1 million have visited the River Safari since its soft opening in April 2013. On 13 October 2021, River Safari was renamed to River Wonders.

Construction

Conceptualization of such as River Wonders (then known as River Safari) began in early 2007, and its construction was officially announced to the public on 11 February 2009 with an estimated completion date of late 2011. The project began with an estimated budget of S$140 million as well as an annual visitor rate of 750,000, however since the original announcement in 2009 the budget has since increased by S$20 million in 2010, due to rising construction costs, to S$160 million and the annual visitor rate has also increased to 820,000. The park is built within the current compound already shared by the

and Night Safari and occupies , making it the smallest of the three parks.

Exhibits

River Gems

The very first enclosure in the park, this tank and aviary displays various species of smaller fish like

tetra Terrestrial Trunked Radio (TETRA; formerly known as Trans-European Trunked Radio), a European standard for a trunked radio system, is a professional mobile radio and two-way transceiver specification. TETRA was specifically designed for use by ...

danio ''Danio'' is a genus of small freshwater fish in the family Cyprinidae found in South and Southeast Asia, commonly kept in aquaria. They are generally characterised by a pattern of horizontal stripes, rows of spots or vertical bars. Some species ...

s and

gourami Gouramis, or gouramies , are a group of freshwater anabantiform fishes that comprise the family Osphronemidae. The fish are native to Asia—from the Indian Subcontinent to Southeast Asia and northeasterly towards Korea. The name "gourami", of ...

s as well as a few birds. *

Black phantom tetra The black phantom tetra (''Hyphessobrycon megalopterus''), or simply phantom tetra, is a small freshwater fish of the characin family (Characidae) of order Characiformes. It is native to the upper Paraguay basin and upper Madeira basin (including ...

Cardinal tetra The cardinal tetra (''Paracheirodon axelrodi'') is a freshwater fish of the family (biology), family Characidae of order (biology), order Characiformes. It is native to the upper Orinoco and Rio Negro (Amazon), Negro Rivers in South America. Gro ...

Crested guineafowl The crested guineafowl (''Guttera pucherani'') is a member of the Numididae, the guineafowl bird family. It is found in open forest, woodland and forest-savanna mosaics in sub-Saharan Africa. Description It has a total length around 50 cm ...

Flying fox ''Pteropus'' (suborder Yinpterochiroptera) is a genus of megabats which are among the largest bats in the world. They are commonly known as fruit bats or flying foxes, among other colloquial names. They live in South Asia, Southeast Asia, Aust ...

* Pearl gourami * Penguin tetra *

Rainbow shark The rainbow shark (''Epalzeorhynchos frenatum'') is a species of Southeast Asian freshwater fish from the family Cyprinidae. It is also known as the ruby shark, red-fin shark, red-finned shark, rainbow sharkminnow, green fringelip labeo, whitefin ...

Rummy-nose tetra The rummy-nose tetra (''Hemigrammus rhodostomus'') is a species of tropical freshwater characin fish originating in South America, popular among fishkeepers as an aquarium fish. One of many small tetras belonging to the same genus, it is on av ...

Trumpeter hornbill The trumpeter hornbill (''Bycanistes bucinator'') is a medium-sized hornbill, with length between , characterized by a large grey casque on the bill, smaller in females. The eyes are brown or red, with pink surrounding skin. Body mass is between ...

River of Africa

* Aba aba * African jewelfish *

Atlantic tarpon The Atlantic tarpon (''Megalops atlanticus'') is a ray-finned fish that inhabits coastal waters, estuary, estuaries, lagoons, and rivers. It is also known as the silver king. It is found in the Atlantic Ocean, typically in tropical and subtropica ...

* Bluegray mbuna * Cobalt blue zebra cichlid *

Congo tetra The Congo tetra (''Phenacogrammus interruptus'') is a species of fish in the African tetra family, found in the central Congo River Basin in Africa. It is commonly kept in aquaria. Description The Congo tetra has a typical full-bodied tetra ...

* Eastern bottle-nosed mormyrid * Fahaka pufferfish * Golden mbuna * Peters's elephantnose fish * Reedfish * Tailspot ctenopoma * Zebra tilapia

Congo River

The Congo River area consists of a pond containing various

Lake Malawi Lake Malawi, also known as Lake Nyasa in Tanzania and Lago Niassa in Mozambique, is an African Great Lake and the southernmost lake in the East African Rift system, located between Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania. It is the fifth largest f ...

cichlid Cichlids are fish from the family Cichlidae in the order Cichliformes. Cichlids were traditionally classed in a suborder, the Labroidei, along with the wrasses ( Labridae), in the order Perciformes, but molecular studies have contradicted th ...

s and birds in a paludarium setup. * Bumblebee cichlid * Featherfin squeaker * Giraffe hap * Red zebra cichlid * Ringed teal * Spindle hap *

Violet turaco The violet turaco, also known as the violaceous plantain eater (''Musophaga violacea''), is a large turaco, a group of African otidimorphae. Characteristics These are unmistakable birds, but shy and often inconspicuous in the treetops. They are ...

Von der Decken's hornbill Von der Decken's hornbill (''Tockus deckeni'') is a hornbill found in East Africa, especially to the east of the East African Rift, from Ethiopia south to Tanzania. It is found mainly in thorn scrub and similar arid habitats. Jackson's hornbill i ...

Lake Tanganyika

This exhibit displays several species of

Lake Tanganyika Lake Tanganyika () is an African Great Lake. It is the second-oldest freshwater lake in the world, the second-largest by volume, and the second-deepest, in all cases after Lake Baikal in Siberia. It is the world's longest freshwater lake. T ...

s. * Blue neon cichlid * Blunthead cichlid * Compressed cichlid * Cuckoo catfish * Fairy cichlid * Lemon cichlid * Red-spot callochromis * Sardine cichlid

Nile River

A large Egyptian-themed tank houses predatory

tigerfish Tigerfish can refer to fish from various families, and derives from official and colloquial associations of these with the tiger (''Panthera tigris''). However, the primary species designated by the name "tigerfish" are African and belong to the ...

along with a few other African fish like arowanas,

bichir Bichirs and the reedfish comprise Polypteridae , a family of archaic ray-finned fishes and the only family in the order Polypteriformes .Helfman GS, Collette BB, Facey DE, Bowen BW. 2009. The Diversity of Fishes. West Sussex, UK: Blackwell Pu ...

s and giraffe catfish. * African arowana *

African pike ''Hepsetus'' is a genus of African fishes, the African pikes or African pike characins, in the order Characiformes. It is the sole genus in the family Hepsetidae. It was long believed that only a single widespread species existed, ''H. odoe'', b ...

African tigerfish ''Hydrocynus'' is a genus of large characin fish in the family Alestidae commonly called "tigerfish," native to the African continent. The genus name is derived from Ancient Greek ὕδωρ ("water"Liddell, H.G. & Scott, R. (1940). ''A Greek-En ...

* Giraffe catfish * Goliath tigerfish * Nile bichir * Saddled bichir

Ganges River

Black pond turtle The black pond turtle (''Geoclemys hamiltonii''), also known as the spotted pond turtle or the Indian spotted turtle, is a species of freshwater turtle endemic to South Asia. It belongs to the monotypic genus '' Geoclemys''. Etymology The spec ...

Clown featherback The clown featherback, clown knifefish, or spotted knifefish, ''Chitala ornata'', is a nocturnal tropical fish with a long, knife-like body. This knifefish is native to freshwater habitats in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam, but it has al ...

Gharial The gharial (''Gavialis gangeticus''), also known as gavial or fish-eating crocodile, is a crocodilian in the family Gavialidae and among the longest of all living crocodilians. Mature females are long, and males . Adult males have a distinct ...

* Giant gourami *

Giant snakehead ''Channa micropeltes'', giant snakehead, giant mudfish or toman harimau, is among the largest species in the family Channidae, capable of growing to in length and a weight of . It is native to the fresh waters of Southeast Asia (South Indian pop ...

* Goonch

Mary River

Australian lungfish The Australian lungfish (''Neoceratodus forsteri''), also known as the Queensland lungfish, Burnett salmon and barramunda, is the only surviving member of the family Neoceratodontidae. It is one of only six extant lungfish species in the world. ...

Banded archerfish The banded archerfish (''Toxotes jaculatrix'') is a brackish water perciform fish of the archerfish genus '' Toxotes''. It is silvery in colour and has a dorsal fin towards the posterior end. It has distinctive, semi-triangular markings along it ...

Boeseman's rainbowfish Boeseman's rainbowfish (''Melanotaenia boesemani''), also known as the Boesemani rainbowfish, is a species of fish in the family Melanotaeniidae. Geographic range ''M. boesemani'' is endemic to the Ayamaru Lakes and their tributaries in a mount ...

* Eastern rainbowfish *

Jade perch ''Scortum barcoo'' is a species of fish in the family Terapontidae, known by the common names Barcoo grunter and jade perch. It is endemic to Australia, where it can be found in certain major rivers, including the Barcoo River. It is reared in ...

Mangrove horseshoe crab The mangrove horseshoe crab (''Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda''), also known as the round-tailed horseshoe crab, is a chelicerate arthropod found in tropical marine and brackish waters in India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore, T ...

* Orange rainbowfish * Pearse's mudskipper *

Red rainbowfish The red rainbowfish or salmon-red rainbowfish (''Glossolepis incisus'') is a species of rainbowfish from Lake Sentani in Irian Jaya, Indonesia. Belonging to the family Melanotaeniidae, in the subfamily Melanotaeniinae, the Australian rainbowfishe ...

Mekong River

The main attraction of this area is a large tank that houses several giant fish from the Mekong. Several smaller tanks feature smaller fish species. There is also an aviary based on a rice

paddy field A paddy field is a flooded field of arable land used for growing semiaquatic crops, most notably rice and taro. It originates from the Neolithic rice-farming cultures of the Yangtze River basin in southern China, associated with pre-A ...

in Thailand with Asian birds. *

Asian arowana The Asian arowana (''Scleropages formosus'') comprises several phenotypic varieties of freshwater fish distributed geographically across Southeast Asia. While most consider the different varieties to belong to a single species, work by Pouyau ...

* Black-faced spoonbill *

Chinese water dragon The Chinese water dragon (''Physignathus cocincinus'') is a species of agamid lizard native to China and mainland Southeast Asia. It is also known as the Asian water dragon, Thai water dragon, and green water dragon. The genus name is Greek for " ...

* Dolphin barb * Fire eel * Giant freshwater stingray * Giant pangasius * Green imperial pigeon * Indian muntjac * Iridescent shark * Jullien's golden carp *

Lion-tailed macaque The lion-tailed macaque (''Macaca silenus''), also known as the wanderoo, is an Old World monkey endemic to the Western Ghats of South India. Characteristics Lion-tailed macaques are covered in black fur, and have a striking gray or silver ...

* Masked lapwing *

Mekong giant catfish The Mekong giant catfish (''Pangasianodon gigas''; th, ปลาบึก, , ; km, ត្រីរាជ /''trəy riec''/; vi, cá tra dầu), is a large, threatened species of catfish ( order Siluriformes) in the shark catfish family (Pan ...

* Nankeen night heron * Painted stork * Philippine sailfin lizard * Siamese giant carp *

Spotted whistling duck The spotted whistling duck (''Dendrocygna guttata'') is a member of the duck family Anatidae The Anatidae are the biological family of water birds that includes ducks, geese, and swans. The family has a cosmopolitan distribution, occurring on ...

* Wallago * Vietnamese pheasant * Vietnamese pond turtle

Yangtze River

This precinct houses several rare species from the Yangtze River. A small tank houses giant salamanders and an aquarium holds several large fish like sturgeons and carps. The Giant Panda Forest spans 1500 square-metres and is specially climate-controlled enclosure which change to simulate the panda's natural habitat. As of 2022, it is home to a male and female pair named Kai Kai (凯凯) and Jia Jia (嘉嘉) and their cub Le Le (叻叻).

Red panda The red panda (''Ailurus fulgens''), also known as the lesser panda, is a small mammal native to the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China. It has dense reddish-brown fur with a black belly and legs, white-lined ears, a mostly white muzzle ...

s are also housed in this area. Visitors can watch the staff prepare fresh bamboo daily for the pandas. *

Amur sturgeon The Japanese sturgeon, or Amur sturgeon (''Acipenser schrenckii'') is a species of fish in the family Acipenseridae found in the Amur River basin in China and Russia. Claims of its presence in the Sea of Japan need confirmation. The species has ...

Chinese giant salamander The Chinese giant salamander (''Andrias davidianus'') is one of the largest salamanders and one of the largest amphibians in the world.Chinese high-fin banded shark * Chinese softshell turtle *

False gharial The false gharial (''Tomistoma schlegelii''), also known by the names Malayan gharial, Sunda gharial and tomistoma is a freshwater crocodilian of the family Gavialidae native to Peninsular Malaysia, Borneo, Sumatra and Java. It is listed as ...

Giant panda The giant panda (''Ailuropoda melanoleuca''), also known as the panda bear (or simply the panda), is a bear species endemic to China. It is characterised by its bold black-and-white coat and rotund body. The name "giant panda" is sometimes u ...

Grass carp The grass carp (''Ctenopharyngodon idella'') is a species of large herbivorous freshwater fish in the family Cyprinidae, native to the Pacific Far East, with a native range stretching from northern Vietnam to the Amur River on the Sino-Russi ...

* Phoenix barb *

Once Upon A River

In 2018, every river has many stories to tell. Are you ready for an adventure? Join us as we explorer the water's edge to discover a variety of fascinating creatures. *

Asian small-clawed otter The Asian small-clawed otter (''Aonyx cinereus''), also known as the oriental small-clawed otter and the small-clawed otter, is an otter species native to South and Southeast Asia. It has short claws that do not extend beyond the pads of its w ...

Azara's agouti Azara's agouti (''Dasyprocta azarae'') is an agouti species from the family Dasyproctidae. Found in Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina, it is named after Spanish naturalist Félix de Azara Félix Manuel de Azara y Perera (18 May 1746 – 20 Oct ...

Brahminy kite The brahminy kite (''Haliastur indus''), formerly known as the red-backed sea-eagle in Australia, is a medium-sized bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors, such as eagles, buzzards, and harrie ...

Buffy fish owl The buffy fish owl (''Ketupa ketupu''), also known as the Malay fish owl, is a fish owl in the family Strigidae. It is native to Southeast Asia and lives foremost in tropical forests and wetlands. Due to its wide distribution and assumed stable p ...

Capybara The capybaraAlso called capivara (in Brazil), capiguara (in Bolivia), chigüire, chigüiro, or fercho (in Colombia and Venezuela), carpincho (in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay) and ronsoco (in Peru). or greater capybara (''Hydrochoerus hydro ...

* Crocodile monitor * Four-toed hedgehog *

Great white pelican The great white pelican (''Pelecanus onocrotalus'') also known as the eastern white pelican, rosy pelican or white pelican is a bird in the pelican family. It breeds from southeastern Europe through Asia and Africa, in swamps and shallow lakes. ...

* Green iguana * Grey parrot *

North American beaver The North American beaver (''Castor canadensis'') is one of two extant beaver species, along with the Eurasian beaver (''Castor fiber''). It is native to North America and introduced in South America ( Patagonia) and Europe (primarily Finland ...

* Oriental pied hornbill *

Reticulated python The reticulated python (''Malayopython reticulatus'') is a python species native to South and Southeast Asia. It is the world's longest snake, and is among the three heaviest. It is listed as least concern on the IUCN Red List because of its ...

Amazon River Quest

The park features a boat ride called the Amazon River Quest. It features several wildlife species from the Amazon River. *

American flamingo The American flamingo (''Phoenicopterus ruber'') is a large species of flamingo closely related to the greater flamingo and Chilean flamingo native to the Neotropics. It was formerly considered conspecific with the greater flamingo, but that tre ...

* Black howler monkey *

Brown-headed spider monkey The brown-headed spider monkey (''Ateles fusciceps fusciceps'') is a critically endangered subspecies of the black-headed spider monkey, a type of New World monkey, found in northwestern Ecuador. Its type locality is at 1500 m in the Haciend ...

Collared peccary The collared peccary (''Dicotyles tajacu'') is a species of artiodactyl (even-toed) mammal in the family Tayassuidae found in North, Central, and South America. It is the only member of the genus ''Dicotyles''. They are commonly referred to as ...

Giant anteater The giant anteater (''Myrmecophaga tridactyla'') is an insectivorous mammal native to Central and South America. It is one of four living species of anteaters, of which it is the largest member. The only extant member of the genus ''Myrmecophag ...

Guanaco The guanaco (; ''Lama guanicoe'') is a camelid native to South America, closely related to the llama. Guanacos are one of two wild South American camelids, the other being the vicuña, which lives at higher elevations. Etymology The guanaco ...

* Guyanan red howler *

Jaguar The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large cat species and the only living member of the genus ''Panthera'' native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the largest cat species in the Americas and the th ...

* Patagonian mara *

Red-backed bearded saki The red-backed bearded sakiBonvicino, C. R., Boubli, J. P., Otazú, I. B., Almeida, F. C., Nascimento, F. F., Coura, J. R. and Seuánez, H. N. (2003). ''Morphologic, karyotypic, and molecular evidence of a new form of Chiropotes (primates, pithec ...

South American coati The South American coati (''Nasua nasua''), also known as the ring-tailed coati, is a coati species and a member of the raccoon family (Procyonidae), found in the tropical and subtropical parts of South America. An adult generally weighs from a ...

South American tapir The South American tapir (''Tapirus terrestris''), also commonly called the Brazilian tapir (from the Tupi ''tapi'ira''), the Amazonian tapir, the maned tapir, the lowland tapir, the ''anta'' ( Portuguese), and ''la sachavaca'' (literally "bushc ...

Tufted capuchin The tufted capuchin (''Sapajus apella''), also known as brown capuchin, black-capped capuchin, or pin monkey is a New World primate from South America and the Caribbean islands of Trinidad and Margarita. As traditionally defined, it is one of th ...

* White-faced saki

Wild Amazonia

A few habitats housing the rest of the Amazonian animals are included in this area. *

Bare-faced curassow The bare-faced curassow (''Crax fasciolata'') is a species of bird in the family Cracidae, the chachalacas, guans, curassows, etc. It is found in Brazil, Paraguay, and eastern Bolivia, and extreme northeast Argentina, in the cerrado, pantanal, an ...

* Cuvier's dwarf caiman *

Golden dorado ''Salminus brasiliensis'' (dourado, dorado, golden dorado, river tiger or jaw characin) is a large, predatory characiform freshwater fish found in central and east-central South America. Despite having ''Salminus'' in its name, the dorado is not ...

Golden-headed lion tamarin The golden-headed lion tamarin (''Leontopithecus chrysomelas''), also the golden-headed tamarin, is a lion tamarin endemic to Brazil. It is found only in the lowland and premontane tropical forest fragments in the state of Bahia, and therefore i ...

Green anaconda The green anaconda (''Eunectes murinus''), also known as the giant Emerald anaconda, common anaconda, common water boa or sucuri, is a boa species found in South America. It is the heaviest and one of the longest known extant snake species. L ...

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People * Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms. * Oscar (Irish mythology) ...

Silver arowana The silver arowana (''Osteoglossum bicirrhosum'') is a South American freshwater bony fish of the family Osteoglossidae. Silver arowanas are sometimes kept in aquariums, but they are predatory and require a very large tank. The generic name ''O ...

* Suckermouth catfish

Squirrel Monkey Forest

Including the Squirrel Monkey Forest, a walkthrough habitat allowing guests to get close to the squirrel monkeys. *

Common squirrel monkey Common squirrel monkey is the traditional common name for several small squirrel monkey species native to the tropical areas of South America. The term common squirrel monkey had been used as the common name for '' Saimiri sciureus'' before ge ...

* Helmeted curassow * White-faced saki * Yellow-footed tortoise

Amazon Flooded Forest

The Amazon Flooded Forest is a large indoor complex that features a wide variety of species from the

Amazon River The Amazon River (, ; es, Río Amazonas, pt, Rio Amazonas) in South America is the largest river by discharge volume of water in the world, and the disputed longest river system in the world in comparison to the Nile. The headwaters of t ...

. This complex boasts the largest tank in the park which holds Antillean manatees and a variety of large Amazonian fish. River Wonders has had success in breeding the manatees. In August 2016, two young male manatees named Junior and Kai were released into a protected bay in

Guadeloupe Guadeloupe (; ; gcf, label= Antillean Creole, Gwadloup, ) is an archipelago and overseas department and region of France in the Caribbean. It consists of six inhabited islands— Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galante, La Désirade, and ...

to participate in a breeding programme. However, on October 2 2016, Junior died of a renal failure. * Altum angelfish * Arapaima * Black-finned pacu *

Black ghost knifefish The black ghost knifefish (''Apteronotus albifrons'') is a tropical fish belonging to the ghost knifefish family (Apteronotidae). They originate in freshwater habitats in South America where they range from Venezuela to the Paraguay– Paran� ...

Blue discus ''Symphysodon aequifasciatus'', the blue discus or brown discus, is a species of cichlid native to rivers of the eastern and central Amazon Basin downriver from the Púrus Arch. This discus is found in black-, clear- and whitewater, but its ...

* Cockatoo cichlid * Colombian tetra *

Electric eel The electric eels are a genus, ''Electrophorus'', of neotropical freshwater fish from South America in the family Gymnotidae. They are known for their ability to stun their prey by generating electricity, delivering shocks at up to 860 volt ...

* Giant otter *

Ocellate river stingray The ocellate river stingray (''Potamotrygon motoro''), also known as the peacock-eye stingray or black river stingray, is a species of freshwater stingray in the family Potamotrygonidae. It was the first species to be described in the family and ...

Red-bellied piranha The red-bellied piranha, also known as the red piranha (''Pygocentrus nattereri''), is a type of piranha native to South America, found in the Amazon, Paraguay, Paraná and Essequibo basins, as well as coastal rivers of northeastern Brazil. ...

* Red phantom tetra *

Redtail catfish The redtail catfish, ''Phractocephalus hemioliopterus'', is a pimelodid (long-whiskered) catfish. In Venezuela, it is known as cajaro, and in Brazil, it is known as pirarara, stemming from the Tupi language words ''pirá'' and ''arara''. It ...

* Royal tetra *

* Striped silver dollar *

West Indian manatee The West Indian manatee (''Trichechus manatus''), also known as the North American manatee, is a large, aquatic mammal native to warm coastal areas of the Caribbean, from the eastern US to northern Brazil. Living alone or in herds, it feeds on un ...

Xingu River ray The Xingu River ray, white-blotched river stingray, or polka-dot stingray (''Potamotrygon leopoldi'') is a species of freshwater fish in the family Potamotrygonidae. It is endemic to the Xingu River basin in Brazil and as such prefers clear wa ...

Attractions

The park boasts a

tropical rainforest Tropical rainforests are rainforests that occur in areas of tropical rainforest climate in which there is no dry season – all months have an average precipitation of at least 60 mm – and may also be referred to as ''lowland equator ...

setting along with as river theme with various animal attractions, theme park rides and other major exhibits.

Giant pandas

One of the main attractions is a pair of male and female

giant panda The giant panda (''Ailuropoda melanoleuca''), also known as the panda bear (or simply the panda), is a bear species endemic to China. It is characterised by its bold black-and-white coat and rotund body. The name "giant panda" is sometimes u ...

s – Kai Kai (凯凯) and Jia Jia (嘉嘉) – which are housed in a specially constructed climate-controlled enclosure which change throughout the four seasons emulating their original environment. The zoo grows its own plantation of special bamboo specially for the feeding of the giant pandas. These pandas are a sign of the twentieth anniversary of friendly Sino-Singapore relations. The park also received a conservation donation from CapitaLand. The names of the two pandas were selected from entries of a public naming competition organised in 2010. The pandas, which arrived in September 2012, are on a ten-year loan from China. On 14 August 2021, a panda cub was born to Kai Kai and Jia Jia, later revealed to be a male on 10 September. This was the first after seven breeding rounds since 2015, which did not yield any cubs. The panda cub was conceived via artificial insemination. During the first few days after the cub was born, Jia Jia was given fluids as well as a glucose diet to get through the trying period with her mothering skills improving by the day. Subsequently, on 26 August 2021, Mandai Wildlife Reserve (then Wildlife Reserves Singapore) announced that the cub will return to China once it turns two, the age when it matures. The cub also has black markings being more apparent by the day. Discussions are also ongoing with Chinese authorities to extend Kai Kai and Jia Jia's stay beyond 2022, the initial period when the pandas are supposed to return. This is to allow for more breeding programmes to be conducted after the cub separates from the parents. On 22 September 2021, the cub opened his eyes to the world for the first time when he was 40 days old with the panda cub weighing 1.87kg, an increase of 370g from the previous week. Two weeks later, the panda weighed 2.638kg as at 1 October. On 8 October 2021, the cub was revealed to have teeth quicker than expected, given that the teeth were formed two months after birth instead of the three typically. This meant that it could start eating bamboo soon. Six teeth were seen, with the first forming on 23 September. On 6 October, the panda weighed over 3kg with its length taken as 51.5cm from head to tail. The panda weighed 4.18kg as of 22 October with the length at 59.5cm from head to tail. It was revealed on 19 November 2021 that the panda took its first steps and weighed 6kg with a length of 67cm. On 29 December 2021, the panda was named Le Le (叻叻) based on the name "Shi Le Po" (石叻坡), an old Chinese term for Singapore. Le Le debuted the following day at its new nursery in the Giant Panda Forest. On 10 March 2022, Le Le joined Jia Jia in the main exhibit with the information board unveiled.

Theme park rides

The park's boat ride, the Amazon River Quest, was opened to visitors on 7 December 2013. It takes visitors through several animals from South America. A 15-minute Reservoir Cruise on the

Upper Seletar Reservoir Upper Seletar Reservoir ( ms, Takungan Air Upper Seletar, Chinese: 实里达蓄水池上段) is Singapore's third impounding reservoir, after MacRitchie Reservoir and Peirce Reservoir (now the Upper Peirce Reservoir and the Lower Peirce Reservo ...

, will travel along the outskirts of Singapore Zoo and the Night Safari compound, which border on the reservoir, giving visitors a chance to spot animals including giraffes and Asian elephants. Tickets are priced at S$5 for adults and S$3 for children aged three to 12, on top of River Wonders admission. Each cruise can take up to 40 passengers and runs at 15-minute intervals from 10.30am to 6.00pm daily. The boats are wheelchair-friendly. The ride opened on 1 August 2014.

Gallery

File:Tiger Fish.JPG, Goliath tigerfish File:Giant Mekong Catfish (15657304782).jpg,

File:Siamese Carp (15469841849).jpg, Siamese giant carp File:Kai Kai.jpg,

Kai Kai File:Red panda.jpg,

File:Collared peccary (15470326158).jpg,

File:Jaguar (15470905690).jpg,

File:Capybaras (15470324568).jpg,

File:Flamingo (15657293712).jpg, Caribbean flamingo File:Golden-headed Lion Tamarin, River Safari, Singapore (27617881620).jpg,

File:Sea Lion, River Safari, Singapore (28470959086).jpg, Giant otter File:Singapore_-_panoramio_(53).jpg,

File:River Safari Singapore Amazon Flooded Forest.JPG, Amazon Flooded Forest

Transportation

Public transportation

River Wonders is not served directly by

MRT MRT may refer to: Transport Rapid Transit Systems * Mass Rapid Transit (disambiguation) * MRT (Singapore) or Mass Rapid Transit, Singapore * MRT (Bangkok) or Metropolitan Rapid Transit, Thailand * Manila Metro Rail Transit System, Philippine ...

line with the nearest station being the

Springleaf MRT station Springleaf MRT station is an underground Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station on the Thomson–East Coast line (TEL) in Singapore. Situated along Upper Thomson Road, it serves the neighbourhood of Springleaf and the nearby Springleaf Nature Park. ...

. There are three bus services operated by

SBS Transit SBS Transit Limited (SBST or just SBS) () is a multi-modal public transport operator in Singapore operating bus and rail services. With a majority of its shares owned by Singaporean multinational transport conglomerate ComfortDelGro Corporation ...

and

SMRT Buses SMRT Buses is a bus operator in Singapore. A subsidiary of SMRT Corporation, it traded as Trans Island Bus Services until 10 May 2004. History Trans-Island Bus Services (1983–2004) In April 1981, Communications & Labour Minister Ong Teng Ch ...

which calls at th
bus stop near to the Zoo

Bus

A shuttle service, known as the ''Mandai Khatib Shuttle'', plies daily between Khatib MRT station and the Zoo. A one-way trip cost $1 for everyone above the age of three. A separate service, known as the ''Mandai Express'', operates on weekends and holidays to and from three locations in Bedok, Sengkang, and Tampines. A one-way trip cost between $1 and $3 for everyone above the age of three.

External links

Official website

References

{{authority control 2012 establishments in Singapore Safari parks Tourist attractions in Singapore Zoos in Singapore