Get Up Close With Zoo & Bird Park Animals In Virtual Sessions That Cost $50 Or More

Parks under Wildlife Reserves Singapore — the Singapore Zoo, River Safari and Jurong Bird Park — are welcoming guests once more in Phase 2 (Night Safari will reopen Jul 30). Great news if you’re planning a (safe-distanced) day out with the clan (no more than five per group, please). Animal shows and some feedings are back on, albeit with limited slots for crowd control purposes. But if you’re looking to get even closer to the animals or mingle with the keepers to learn more about the animals, that’s not going to happen just yet. WRS tells 8Days.sg that the popular Keepers’ Chit Chat are still suspended due to safe distancing measures.

That’s why WRS has launched ‘Hello From The Wild Side’, a series of virtual up-close-and-personal sessions with the animals that you can take part in from the comfort of your home. No, they’re not just videos of penguins roaming around the zoo during the circuit breaker. These range from $50 for a personalised video message from a capybara to $250 for a half-hour private session with elephants and their keeper. Admittedly, these may cost more than an admission ticket (entry to the zoo starts at $31.20 for local residents), but you get a more personalised session, get to interact more with the keepers and see the animals up close, even if it's through a screen. The fee includes a contribution that will go towards supporting efforts by WRS to care for and protect wildlife and habitats in Southeast Asia.