The Madagascar Characters and other Starring Animals at the Singapore Zoo

Last week, we watched the movie Madagascar’s third installment, Europe’s Most Wanted. I love this movie and how the different personalities of the four main characters (Alex’s strong spirit, Marty’s coolness, Gloria’s vamp and Melman’s sincerity) mesh well to make their adventures unforgettable. And Afro Circus just kept going on in my head for days after the movie. “Ra da da da da da da da circus, da da da da da da da da afro circus afro circus afro polka dot polka dot polka dot afro.” Sorry.

It was a good introduction to our visit to the zoo the following day. Not that I haven’t seen them in zoos before, but this time I was more eager to see Alex, Marty, Gloria and Melman in real life!

Lions (Is that Alex and…Alexa?)

Marty and his friends

Meet Gloria! Thanks to The Observer (please see comment below) for pointing out that this is a pygmy hippo and not a manatee as I previously wrote. I actually completed the 4 main characters of the Madagascar Movie! Woohoo!

Melman and…Melwoman?

Giraffes are very gentle.

Melmen :)

Unfortunately, we didn’t see any hippos in the zoo. But a number of lemurs made up for it. (Correction: All 4 main characters in the Madagascar Movie were present. Please see the caption under the Pygmy Hippo photo.) These adorable lemurs reminded me of King Julien VIII, Maurice and Mort.

Hail the Ring-tailed Lemur!

He likes paparazzi!

And who will forget the intelligent penguins of Madagascar? Singapore Zoo houses the endangered African penguins and we’ve seen these water-loving birds in Jurong Bird Park as well. I prefer the photos of penguins I took there.

African Penguins

The zoo has a wide variety of monkeys, baboons, chimpanzees and orangutans.
TRIVIA: Do you know the difference between monkeys and apes? The easy to spot difference is that monkeys have tails and webbed feet and apes do not have. Monkeys are also generally smaller than apes. 

White-faced Saki Monkey

Proboscis Monkey – a rare long-nosed monkey

Patas Monkey

Patas Monkeys and their tree house

A Spider Monkey entertains visitors with tail-swinging skills

Posing for the camera

Friendly orangutans

A shy cimpanzee

Animal PDA is allowed ;)

Sitting alone

Baboons gather in an area of the zoo called “The Great Rift Valley of Ethiopia”

Can you spot the Nubian Ibex in the photo?

The zoo imitates the animals’ natural habitat with small streams, falls, lakes and green landscapes.

Singapore Zoo mimics a lush tropical rainforest housing 2,800 animals. The interactive activities make this zoo a unique one with animal feeding sessions, photo opportunities, shows and rides. You look up, you see monkeys freely swinging on vines. Birds roam the park with the visitors. And the sound of the animals transport you from a zoo to a natural forest.

Monkeys swinging on vines

Other than lions, giraffes and zebras, the zoo has a dedicated part for Africa’s wild animals. The cheetah, warthog, hunting dog, nyala, eland and meerkat are always ready for a photo op. Singapore Zoo specially showcases the wildlife of Africa, Asia and Australia for visitors without having to travel thousands of miles.

Meerkat

White Rhinoceros

TRIVIA: Did you know that “kangaroo” means “I don’t know” in Australian Aboriginal language? When Englishmen arrived in Australia and asked what was that animal called, the natives replied “kangaroo” because they didn’t understand the question.

An elephant trying to pick up a rock. FYI, this was not part of the show. This elephant was exploring the rock on her own will.

The place for the elephants of Asia

And here are the other stars of the zoo…

Super cute otters

A white peafowl showing off its ornate feathers.

Iguanas are usually hard to spot because they blend with their environment but when I saw this one out free for visitors to touch, I jumped off of my feet.

Singapore Zoo has the world’ largest walk-through butterfly flight dome.

A turtle feasting on fresh veggies

A shy giant tortoise. TRIVIA: Did you know that this tropical reptile could weigh as much as 600 lbs?

And finally, our favorite… (drum roll!) the White Bengal Tigers.

A recessive trait makes this tiger white in color and often larger than the normal-colored tigers.

He was a star in front of the visitors showing off its large body and powerful paws.

Contrary to common knowledge that our feline friends hate the water, these tigers like a quick swim to cool off due to their heavy fur coat.

Singapore Zoo offers much more. I cannot post the blurry photos we took that day. I still need a lot of practice with the new camera. If you happen to come to Singapore, drop a visit to these adorable animals.

TRAVEL TIPS:

1. Bring drinking water and snacks. There’s a couple of restaurants but it’s better to bring your own as you don’t want to spend time walking back to the restaurant when your tummy growls. Anyway, there are plenty of designated areas for resting and picnicking inside the park.

2. Bring umbrellas to protect you from unexpected downpour and extreme heat. You don’t want the erratic weather to ruin your day, do you?

3. How to get there? The cheapest way is via MRT and bus. Suppose that you are coming from the Changi International Airport, take the train (East West Line) and alight at the Paya Lebar Interchange to take the Circle Line. Once you are along the Circle Line, alight at the Bishan Interchange and take the North South Line and alight at Ang Mo Kio station. Exit the station and follow the direction to the Bus Interchange. Take the bus service 138 that will take you directly to the Singapore Zoo after around 20 minutes. This route would probably cost you not more than 5SGD. There are other options on how to get to the zoo but this is the route we took since we are very near Ang Mo Kio station and we also saw a number of travelers taking the same route. It takes about an hour to reach the zoo from the airport. Click here to calculate travel time and cost. If you are a tourist, you can avail of the Singapore Tourist Pass that gives you unlimited ride for all Singapore’s buses and trains.

4. Entrance Fee is 20SGD for adults and 13SGD for children (those below 3 years old are free). Check their Park Hopper Specials to avail of discounts.

5. It is open from 8:30am to 6:00pm daily (last ticket sale at 5:30pm) and it is best to spend at least half-a-day exploring the park.

6. Don’t miss the animal shows: Splash Safari at 10:30am and 5:00pm, Animal Friends Show at 11:00am and 4:00pm, Elephants at Work and Play at 11:30am and 3:30pm and Rainforest Fights Back at 12:30pm and 2:30pm.

7. Visit their official website. It is pretty comprehensive and you will get a lot of information about the Singapore Zoo and other parks and protected areas in Singapore.

Related Articles on Singapore’s Parks:

An Urban Sanctuary: Singapore Botanic Gardens
Flowers in Focus at the National Orchid Garden
Healing Flowers at the Healing Garden
Jurong Bird Park: No Angry Birds Here