The zoo is one of the headline attractions in Singapore. I have visited it several times before but generally avoided it after our Christmas trip when the park was so crowded you could feel even the animals were exhausted. As another round of guests arrived we got another request to visit the zoo but this time they wanted to go for the orang utan breakfast. I remember reading about it and probably thinking it was hokey but we said yes.
My cousins were only in Singapore for one weekend on their 10 day trip so I snagged reservations for Saturday morning. The website advises to get there at 8:30 which was a smart move. The elephant bathing and feeding was at 9:15 so we had just enough time to find the restaurant, observe that we had prime seating and get some of the fabulous buffet in us. Two Indian elephants were bathing. They splashed the small audience crowded around as they rolled over in the water. Elephants are just so awesome!
So after we were sufficiently wet and the elephants all squeaky clean we got to feed them. At first we thought we could get away with just two baskets of fruit between the four of us but by the end we fed them six baskets. It was too much fun to resist and all the money goes to conservation efforts. One elephant took a banana, curled it under its trunk and then presented her trunk for another piece of fruit. She did this 4 times, one price of fruit from each of us, until she had gathered enough and stuffed the bundle into her mouth.
After that thrilling encounter we went back to have our real breakfast. It was a classic buffet split: some Asian food like congee and some English breakfast like beans. I got two plates in. Just five feet or so from our table was a platform where the orang utans got to have their breakfast. Of course there was a picture queue for those eager to document the experience. We waiting to eat and then got in line. The picture is neat but it was cooler just to stand so close to them. I think the mamma orang utan touched my hair. The baby of course was adorable which is why there was a zookeeper talking the whole time about how endangered they are and how it’s terrible to have one for a pet. The best we could do was a stuffed animal version.
The zoo does an excellent job of reinforcing conservation messages all over the park. I am always impressed by how much friendly information they give you. Also, the enclosures for each animal are built so that there is a minimal physical barrier between you and the wild things. Monkeys are seriously eating right above your head. Giant birds kind of wander around. But its all safe and all fun.
Later on that day we also fed giraffes, witnessed the Jaguar feeding, and almost got to feed the rhinos. It was a full day of wild animals and food and really the best kind of fun for all ages.
