Jurong Bird Park
A finance minister saw a Rio zoo in 1968 and decided Singapore deserved one — 52 years later it closed as the world's largest bird park by bird count.
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Opened 3 January 1971 on the western slope of Jurong Hill at a cost of S$3.5 million, the park reached 5,000 birds across 400 species. At closure, 24% of its birds were threatened species — the highest proportion recorded at any zoo worldwide. It shut permanently on 3 January 2023; its successor, Bird Paradise at Mandai, opened 8 May 2023.
What to look for
- The large resident flamingo flock, a signature presence throughout the park's history
- The hillside terrain of Bukit Peropok — the 49-acre site was built into the western slope of Jurong Hill
- The scale: 400 species under one roof, with threatened birds making up a quarter of the collection
Jurong Bird Park closed 3 January 2023; Bird Paradise at Mandai Lake Road (opened 8 May 2023) is its direct successor and current operating venue.
Jurong Bird Park is one of 30 sights worth the detour in Singapore, all bundled offline in Voyage GO — download the Singapore pack and it sits on your map with no signal, filling your travel passport the moment you walk past.
More to see in Singapore
- Singapore Botanic GardensThe world's only tropical UNESCO garden — where 1920s rubber supplied half the planet's latex and orchids now carry diplomats' names.
- Marina Bay SandsA 150-metre infinity pool balanced on the world's largest public cantilevered platform, jutting 66.5 metres past the edge of its own tower.
- Marina Bay Street CircuitLewis Hamilton said this 4.927 km loop was twice as physically punishing as Monaco — and you can walk every metre of it.
- Marina BayThe entire bay you're standing beside was open sea until 1992 — 38 years of reclamation drained the anchorage and pushed the Singapore River's mouth inland.
- Gardens by the BayThe world's largest glass greenhouse anchors a 105-hectare park on Singapore's Marina Reservoir.
- Singapore FlyerFor six years this was the tallest Ferris wheel on earth — Las Vegas finally beat it in 2014, by just 2.6 metres.