Giant pandas Kai Kai (left) and Jia Jia (right) are adapting well to their new home at the Giant Panda Forest. PHOTO CREDITS: WILDLIFE RESERVES SINGAPORE

Singapore, 29 October 2012 – Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS) today announced that River Safari’s giant panda exhibit – the Giant Panda Forest – will open to the public for a special preview from 29 November, in time for the year-end school holiday season.

The Giant Panda Forest is one of the key highlights and developments of the upcoming River Safari, Asia’s first and only river-themed wildlife park. The new park, located in between Night Safari and Singapore Zoo, is scheduled to open in the first quarter of 2013. The panda exhibit will be opened to the public ahead of the park’s official launch for visitors to enjoy a special preview of the pandas.

Visitors will be able to enter the Giant Panda Forest from a specially-created access point in Singapore Zoo. Those planning to meet Kai Kai (凯凯) and Jia Jia (嘉嘉) at the Giant Panda Forest can do so by purchasing a Singapore Zoo admission ticket* and a top-up fee of $5.00 per adult or $3.00 per child (3 to 12 years old).

“We are pleased that the giant pandas have settled into their new home and look forward to welcoming visitors who are excited to see Kai Kai and Jia Jia. By bringing visitors up close to these endangered bears, we aim to educate Singaporeans and tourists alike on the importance of conservation,” said Ms Claire Chiang, Chairman of WRS.

Tickets to the giant panda exhibit will be on sale daily from 8.30am starting 29 November. These tickets can be purchased at Singapore Zoo’s ticketing counters and are valid only on the day of purchase. Tickets are on a first-come-first-served basis to accommodate an optimum number of visitors in the Giant Panda Forest at any one time.

Apart from seeing the giant pandas, visitors to the Giant Panda Forest can look forward to meeting other wildlife from China such as the golden pheasant and the red panda. The 1,500 square-metre exhibit – the largest of its kind in South East Asia – simulates the bears’ natural habitat, with lush live plants, boulders and water features. The temperature is kept between 18-22 degrees Celsius year round and humidity is set at 50-60 per cent to ensure the pandas’ comfort.

The two pandas are here for 10 years as part of a joint collaboration between China Wildlife Conservation Association and WRS to raise public awareness on wildlife conservation and develop a breeding programme for these endangered animals.

More information on admission to the Giant Panda Forest can be found on http://pandas.riversafari.com.sg

*Current admission prices to Singapore Zoo are at S$20 per adult and S$13 per child (3 to 12 years).

Jia Jia

Kai Kai