Jurong Bird Park shuts after 52 years, 2,600 people show up for final visit before its move

SINGAPORE — When the gates to the Jurong Bird Park opened for the last time on Tuesday (Jan 3), Miss Koh Jing Ting and Miss Shweta Amba Alagan found themselves among a crowd of eager visitors making their final trip to the half-a-century-old wildlife park before it moves to Mandai.

Even though the two 19-year-old students were at the park just last week, they stayed until it closed, joining the crowds who were whipping out their phones and cameras to capture the automated shutters rolling down.

Around 2,600 visitors turned up at the park on Tuesday, more than the average of 2,000 who go there on a regular day.

Over the final five days from last Friday, Jurong Bird Park had more than 30,000 visitors, the Mandai Wildlife Group that manages the park said.

Miss Koh, whose eyes brightened up when she spoke of how she got to feed the forest-dwelling lories, said: “It’s quite a sentimental day for both of us.”

Her friend, Miss Shweta, chimed in about how seeing the different birds at the park helped her overcome her fear of flying animals.

The 20.2 hectare research and conservation park, Asia's largest bird park, closed on its 52nd anniversary after first opening its doors to visitors in 1971. 

Over the years, the park has won several world-first accolades for breeding threatened species such as the Great Hornbill, Black Hornbill, Twelve-wired Bird-of-Paradise, Straw-headed Bulbul and Santa Cruz Ground-dove.

The 3,500 birds it houses will continue to be cared for as it prepares to move to a new, slightly smaller bird park called Bird Paradise, set to open in the second quarter of this year at the Mandai Wildlife Reserve. 

It will join the Singapore Zoo, River Wonders and Night Safari, as well as Mandai's upcoming attractions including Rainforest Wild and a new resort situated within the site.

On Tuesday during the park’s High Flyer show where visitors may take photos with flamingos, a queue of about 200 people stretched from the stage to the top of a large amphitheatre.

A bout of heavy rain in the late afternoon did little to dampen spirits during the final showing of the Kings of the Skies presentation that featured the Bald Eagle, Brahminy Kites and Himalayan Griffon Vulture.

The host asked if the show should go on and was met with a resounding “Yes!” by the audience, who began taking out their umbrellas. 

However, the show had to be cut short eventually due to the downpour.

Ms Sun Hui Lin, 31, took half a day off from work to take her two children, aged three and seven, to the park.

"The show was a very special memory for us," the administrative executive said. "It was very touching when they said goodbye to us. I felt like crying."

Among the crowd were Ms Anita Sharma, 53, who took up her first job at the Jurong Bird Park in 1992 and Dr Wong Hon Mun, 67, the park’s former executive director who has since retired.

Ms Anita who now works in marketing and events said: “If you couldn’t find me at home, you would find me at the bird park from morning till night.

“So we came to say goodbye and we’re looking forward to the new home when it opens in Mandai.”

At the entrance of the park, a recreation of the bird park’s old cuckoo clock tower counted down to the final minute of its operations on a digital clock. 

As the final announcement was made that the park was closing to the public, staff members gathered to wave goodbye to the visitors.

Miss Koh, the student, told TODAY that she has already made plans with her family to visit the new Bird Paradise when it opens.

“Jurong Bird Park has been a place where I get to bond with my family and friends, so I’ll greatly cherish this place,” she said.