River Wonders River Safari details revealed

Zooish said:
Marine Life Park will open by year's end as well. Frozen Tundra exhibit at the Zoo doesn't have a projected opening date yet except "early 2013"...

@Chlidonias: there's still Jetstar which is a bit more expensive than AirAsia.
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Not too bad though, less than NZ$950 return for next February. Quite tempted myself.

But no stowed baggage, hot food, seat selection, etc...

Way cheaper from Australia though.
 
I've said it before, but there should be a Zoochattering (or whatever a gathering of Zoochatters is called) in Singapore when these places are all finally open.
 
Zooish said:
River Safari's official corporate video:

River Safari Corporate Video - YouTube

Do note that the live images were filmed using existing enclosures or holding areas and not the River Safari's actual exhibits. The computer-generated images may not be entirely accurate either, as I understand the amount of theming was reduced to keep the project within budget.
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Thks for the video zooish :) This park looks amazing!!! im so jealous of you right now ugh your so lucky haha :)
 
Hold your travel plans folks.

I thought the way the WRS press statement on the pandas was worded looked fishy. A newspaper article today confirmed my suspicion - The Panda exhibit will open in December 2012; River Safari will open in 1st Quarter 2013.

This latest delay is the last straw for me. I'm quite tired of waiting and my interest level for River Safari has just waned greatly. I'll look forward to Marine Life Park later this year. I probably won't check out the pandas till the whole park opens - I've seen enough pandas before.
 
Zooish said:
Hold your travel plans folks.

I thought the way the WRS press statement on the pandas was worded looked fishy. A newspaper article today confirmed my suspicion - The Panda exhibit will open in December 2012; River Safari will open in 1st Quarter 2013.

This latest delay is the last straw for me. I'm quite tired of waiting and my interest level for River Safari has just waned greatly. I'll look forward to Marine Life Park later this year. I probably won't check out the pandas till the whole park opens - I've seen enough pandas before.
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So how will the Pandas be visible, free via Zoo entry, paid via zoo, or paid via a seperate entry?
 
zooboy28 said:
So how will the Pandas be visible, free via Zoo entry, paid via zoo, or paid via a seperate entry?
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Definitely not free! Paid via Zoo is possible given the location of the panda exhibit next to a Zoo roadway. Paid via River Safari entrance is also possible as the precincts leading to the panda exhibit can be completed by December.

The delay in opening is due to the Amazon boat ride section, which still looks like a construction site.
 
so does that mean the whole/most of the Yangtze area will be open by December (i.e. including red panda etc), or just the giant panda enclosure? Because all the exhibits in that bit are sort of inter-connected aren't they?

Sort of makes me wonder if showing the pandas early will impact on the numbers (of residents) turning up when the rest of the River Safari opens (as in, if a lot of visitors are mainly interested in pandas so won't rush back to see the rest, or if it won't make any appreciable dent in initial numbers at all). I suppose too that they will get extra visitation from tourists who are in Singapore between December and whenever the River Safari opens, because a lot of them will pay extra to see pandas (and conversely there might be additional visitation from people who wouldn't have gone to the zoo otherwise, but will do just for the pandas).
 
Chlidonias said:
so does that mean the whole/most of the Yangtze area will be open by December (i.e. including red panda etc), or just the giant panda enclosure? Because all the exhibits in that bit are sort of inter-connected aren't they?

Sort of makes me wonder if showing the pandas early will impact on the numbers (of residents) turning up when the rest of the River Safari opens (as in, if a lot of visitors are mainly interested in pandas so won't rush back to see the rest, or if it won't make any appreciable dent in initial numbers at all). I suppose too that they will get extra visitation from tourists who are in Singapore between December and whenever the River Safari opens, because a lot of them will pay extra to see pandas (and conversely there might be additional visitation from people who wouldn't have gone to the zoo otherwise, but will do just for the pandas).
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Not necessarily. The red pandas are housed within the same building as the giant pandas, but the other animals of the Yangtze zone are housed in another building (connected by a walkway). There are access pathways that can potentially bypass the other Yangtze exhibits and channel people directly to the panda building.

Another possibility is that the entire Rivers of the World section + Amazon Flooded Forest Gallery will open ahead with the panda exhibit in December, and the boat ride to be launched in 2013. The boat ride is likely to be a separately-charged attraction anyway, as it cannot accommodate certain visitor groups (notably the wheelchair-bound).

From a purely financial point of view, it makes sense to display the pandas at the soonest possible opportunity. The 10-year loan period starts the moment the pandas arrive, and along with it the payment terms come into effect. The park would want to start earning revenue to pay for the panda loan. And you're right, December is a peak holiday season where there will be lots of tourists around. Might as well cash in on them. I'm pretty sure WRS will charge an arm and a leg for viewing the pandas.

This may have an adverse impact with local visitors (which are clearly more interested about pandas than say Mekong giant catfish), but the park seems marketed and priced towards tourists. Admission is expected to be closer to what is charged for Night Safari (26 USD) than the Zoo (16 USD).
 
@Zooish: Urgent questions!! (I'm on the way to create a new master plan of night safari;))

What is the reason that the greater one-horned rhinos have moved from the western side (Nepalese River Valley) to the eastern side of the Park? Is it because this area/space was needed for the new River Safari? (On the map, it seems to me that the safari train loop is shorter in that area as it was before)

Another question is for the fishing cat trail. (My last visit to Night Safari is a couple of years ago): Right at the beginning of the trail (= before the mouse deer exhibit), would there be enough space for a mangoose exhibt (either on the left or on the right hand of the trail)?

Thank you very much in advance for your answers.
 
@zoomaniac: Yes, the old Nepalese River Valley area is now part of the River Safari.

The pathway at the start of the trail has been widened, so there's not much space on either side of the path left. It's also a steep down slope, so its not really suitable for an exhibit.
 
Local media have been given a preview of the panda's surprisingly lush exhibit (I wonder how long the plants can last though). The 1,500sqm exhibit is kept at between 16 and 22 degrees Celsius and will also house a pair of red pandas as well as golden pheasants in separate enclosures. Sadly the photos aren't exactly of good quality. Links below:

http://sin.stb.s-msn.com/i/E7/E275C8C3472E1395EED8A74B74C.jpg

Photo by todayonline • Instagram

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/components/display_image.php?id=507797?123
 
For an airconditioned indoor-enclosure, it looks not bad. What about a few Szetschuan-birds as "compagnons" for the giant pandas?
 
@Zooish: Thank you for your reply. I presumed that there were no plans. It came just from my imagination that szechuan birds (sorry for my wrong spelling) would perfectly fit in this exhibit. Maybe you can bring on that point to the responsible persons...;)
 
Great video, interesting to see the enclosure and very interesting a female chairperson.
 
that looks like a thoroughly nice enclosure, especially the first photo linked to in post #154. Let's hope the plants stand up to the attentions of the pandas!! If the trees can survive then it will look even better in the future.

And I think some crested ibis would really set the place off nicely :D
 
@zooman: The chairperson's a successful businesswoman, although her role in WRS is non-executive. She's supported a number of social causes, but doesn't have any background in zoology/conservation/wildlife park management.

She confirmed in a press interview that the Giant Panda Forest (official name of the exhibit) will be the only section of River Safari to open in December. Access to the pandas will be via an adjoining Zoo pathway. Ticketing details are still being worked out.
 
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