River Safari - River-Themed Wildlife Park

River Safari is Asia’s first and only river-themed wildlife park. 

Occupying 12 hectares, it houses one of the world’s largest collections of freshwater animals. The park is home to over 150 plant species and 5,000 animal specimens, including 42 endangered species.

With the rapid population growth, economic development and industrialisation, it led to the unprecedented transformation of freshwater habitats and consequent biodiversity loss. By bringing visitors up-close to the fascinating underwater and terrestrial animals that live in such ecosystems, it will highlight the importance of rivers to the survival and be inspired to protect these fragile ecosystems.

Finally, I made my visit to River Safari which was opened in early 2013.

Thanks GF and CF for coming to this educational trip with me on my birthday. It was a joyful one.

Our main purpose of coming to River Safari was to see Kai Kai and Jia Jia, the two cute giant panda.

We were ready to embark on a journey of discovery into one of the world's largest repositories for river dwelling animals.

Our first stop was Mississippi River.

Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America, the Mississippi flows through 10 states and is the world’s fourth longest river. It has been home to more than 400 wildlife species.

The Alligator Snapping Turtle.

This alligator snapping turtle has the second strongest jaw and bite in the entire animal kingdom. It’s a great actor too. Lying motionless in the water during its hunt for fishes, it baits its prey by wriggling its thin tongue to mimic a worm. When a prey comes into position, it snaps its jaws with incredible speed and force, killing its prey instantly.

Never know turtle can be so violent too.

Second stop: Congo River.

The Congo River is the deepest river in the world, going beyond 220 metres. Charging towards a violent stretch of rapids, it makes multiple drops creating magnificent waterfalls before ending off into the Atlantic Ocean. Located at Africa, the raging waters of the Congo River lies a hidden world of beauty and serenity.

The Congo River exhibit at River Safari is a playground for some of the world’s most colourful fish. Don't it resemble a jewel tanks filled with colours of vibrant gemstones?

The gorgeous view of the Amazon River. I was captivated by the diverse rainforest habitats and the surrounding scenary. 

A pity that the Amazon River Quest boat ride and the animals along this ride is still not available yet. I will be back again once it operates.

A photo with the girls after River Nile. Thanks for accompanying me on my birthday ♥

Coming up next was Ganges River.

The river flowing through India and Bangladesh.

Spotted the Indian Gharial.

With its distinguishing elongated snout, believed to have evolved from its diet of small fishes, the Indian gharial has its origins traced as far back as the days of the dinosaurs. It is critically endangered today with an estimation of less than 200 left in the wild.

Caught sight of Crab-eating Macaque at Mekong River.

Crab-eating Macaque is commonly found throughout Southeast Asia. Its excellent swimming skills allow them to nimbly forage within the river for crabs and other aquatic life for food.

Next up, Mekong River.

The majestic Mekong River is certainly the “Mother of all Rivers”, with at least 60 million people in Asia depending on it for fish and other resources. At over 4,300 kilometres, the Mekong River makes its journey through six countries before entering South Vietnam and flowing out to the South China Sea.

Come face to face with the largest freshwater fish in the world - Mekong Giant Catfish.

Another highlight of the Mekong river is the giant freshwater stingray. This mysterious prehistoric predatory fish inhabits some of the wildest and most remote waters on earth.

River Safari indeed shared many similar features with S.E.A Aquarium except that River Safari housed river species while S.E.A Aquarium housed marine species.

Approaching Yangtze River.

Asia’s longest river and the world’s third longest, the Yangtze is also known as Chang Jiang meaning Long River. It holds 40% of China’s freshwater resources and one-third of China’s population lives around the river. Passing through the famous Three Gorges, the Yangtze offers some of China’s most scenic getaways.

The Chinese Alligator is coming.

 It is one of the world’s rarest crocodilians found predominantly in slow-moving rivers, streams, lakes and ponds around the Yangtze river. The Chinese alligator has a fully armoured body with bony plates protecting its belly as well as its upper eyelids.

CF took a photo of me when I was studying the alligator.

Be transported into the region of Chang Jiang at River Safari, where you can admire some of the world’s most critically endangered wildlife that reside within the Yangtze basin.

After walking through the amazing seven rivers, it's time to move on to Giant Panda Forest, the largest panda exhibit in Southeast Asia, and meet China’s gift to Singapore, giant pandas Kai Kai and Jia Jia.

Passing by the gorgeous Amazon River again, I couldn't resist myself to stop whatever I was doing and capture this lovely scenery.  I have never seen a river that is as enchanting as this, the beauty of the nature.

I couldn't believe Singapore has such an enchanting place, it's too urbanise.

Can't enough of the scenery. We actually stayed here for quite awhile before we entered the Giant Panda Forest. 

Aww, who was that cute little furry thing running about?

So cute that I want to go forward and hug it.

The cute little furry thing was actually the Red Panda.

The red panda is also known as the firefox due to its bright rust-coloured furry coat and fox-like face, the red panda is slightly larger than size of a domestic cat. it shares some similar traits with the giant panda as both feed predominantly on bamboo and have extra "thumbs" to hold their food.

A close-up shot of the Red Panda. It was so hyperactive, it just keep running round and round all the while. 

One thing I liked about the forest was that it was air-conditioned. Super cooling down here, I felt so shiok after the long walk. Let's stay here for a little while more.

Kai Kai was munching the bamboo when we approached his habitat.

Giant Panda is one of the world’s most adored and protected rare animals. With only 1,600 giant pandas left in the wild, it has become the world’s most recognised symbol for wildlife protection and conservation.

Do you know why the giant pandas are endangered?

It is due to the habitat loss and the lack of food source, people are cutting down forests which resulted in the limited source of bamboo. Moreover, the female pandas ovulate once in a year and the fertile period only last two to three days.

Kai Kai was separated from Jia Jia. They were being separated by a door.

Is it because the female panda ovulates once in a year so they only get to meet each other during that period? Anyone knows?

While watching Kai Kai, the zookeeper told us to grab our time to see Jia Jia in case she returned to her cave.

Say hello to the shy female panda, Jia Jia.

The giant panda exhibit is stimulated to their natural climate, this bio-dome is kept at a cool temperature of 18-22 degree Celsius.

Thanks CF for the photo.

Before we walked down the long walkway back to the exit, we took a rest at the Mama Panda Kitchen.

The two statute of the giant pandas bidding goodbye to the visitors.

Visited the panda themed eatery, isn't the panda seat cool?

GF tried the popular panda bun.

It is actually red bean paste filling in it.

Can you guess the name of these fishes?

They are actually the red-bellied Piranha. The flooded forest is also where the world’s most feared fish species live. Piranha is known for its sharp, razor-like teeth that shreds its prey to pieces in seconds when it feeds in a large school. Its jaws are so tough that it can even bite through steel fishing hooks!. As both predator and scavenger, the piranha does its part for the environment by getting rid of carcasses within the rivers.

It reminded me of the Piranha 3D and 3DD movie, the scary man-eating fish will eat human up if you enter their habitat.

Caught the photo of the velvet sky just before sunset.

With this, I shall end my post on the joyful trip to River Safari with my lovely companions. I enjoyed the trip very much.