More on the penguins at Jurong

 

New home for penguins

by Vimita Mohandas

05:55 AM Dec 03, 2010

 

Penguins waddling in the hot tropical sun. Hard to believe? But that is what visitors to Jurong Bird Park will see this month.

They can now catch sight of six species of penguins at the new $1.9 million Penguin Coast, including African penguins, one of the few species that can adapt to tropical conditions.

The exhibit took half a year to complete and is the Bird Park's first outdoor enclosure for penguins.

A general curator at Jurong Bird Park, Mr Raja Segran, said the penguins, who moved from the Singapore Zoo, have adapted well to their home.

Visitors can watch their feeding sessions twice daily at 10.30am and 3.30pm. Vimita Mohandas Photo by Wee Teck Hian

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S$1.9m Penguin Coast officially opens at Jurong Bird Park
By Vimita Mohandas | Posted: 02 December 2010 1630 hrs

	Photos 1 of 1
	Video S$1.9m Penguin Coast officially opens at Jurong Bird Park

SINGAPORE: Visitors to Jurong Bird Park can now catch sight of six species of penguins at its new S$1.9 million Penguin Coast.

The new exhibit which took six months to complete boasts the bird park's first outdoor enclosure for penguins.

Penguins waddling in the outdoors is not quite a common sight in humid Singapore but the African penguins are one of the few species of penguins that can adapt to tropical conditions.

10 African penguins were moved from the Singapore Zoo about two weeks ago and it seems they have settled in.

"To our amazement, they adapted very well. By looking at them, they are all very active. And our feeding regime has also been very positive because ever since they came here, they've been eating a lot. Their appetite is one way of gauging whether they are happy or not and they've been eating a whole lot of fish," said Raja Segran, who is a general curator at Jurong Bird Park.

Visitors can watch their 15-minute feeding sessions twice daily at 10.30am and 3.30pm.

Bird Park's resident penguins like the Rockhopper and Macaroni can also be viewed at the indoor-climate-controlled den.

Other resident penguins include Humboldt, Fairy and the King Penguin.

These penguins are a hit with both adults and children.

Jurong Bird Park saw some 900,000 visitors last year and with this new exhibit, it expects to see a 10 to 15 per cent increase in visitorship.
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