Look out! Dinosaurs are coming to the Singapore Zoo and River Safari this December

SINGAPORE - Parents, your kids are going to love this.

There are dinosaurs on the loose at Mandai, and they are not at Jurassic Park, but Zoo-rassic Park - the dinosaur-themed event at the Singapore Zoo and River Safari.

From Nov 26 to Dec 18, guests will be greeted by two dinosaur mascots on the weekends before venturing to the newly installed Dinosaur Valley in Singapore Zoo.

"Guests can expect to see different types of dinosaurs. They can also go on different trails to learn more about, not just dinosaurs, but also how they are connected to our living collections," said Ms May Lok, Director, Education at Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS).

"They can also visit River Safari and look at animals that have 'escaped extinction'. These animals are living fossils and look like their ancient ancestors. They haven't changed much. "

These animals include the Alligator Snapping Turtle, Indian Gharial and Sturgeon.

Dinosaur Valley at the Zoo features a trail which is entitled 'Same same but different'. It is focused on animals which share similar features with dinosaurs despite being unrelated, such as giraffes, rhinos, and bats.

"This is the concept of convergent evolution which happens in the animal world where unrelated species - because they are living in the same environment or they eat the same food - they behave the same way," explained Ms Lok.

"They have evolved with features that are very similar and people always mistake them as related species, but they are not."

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A total of 16 species of dinosaurs, which are all handmade, will be on display at the Zoo and River Safari.

WRS, which manages the Zoo and River Safari, will also be offering an augmented reality experience similar to Pokemon Go through an app called Blippar. This allows guests to scan the physical lifelike dinosaur displays to learn facts about their relationship to other animals in the Zoo.

Besides photo opportunities with the dinosaur mascots, other dinosaur-themed activities will also be available at the Zoo and River Safari on the weekends of Nov 26 to Dec 18.

A 'dino-mite' ticket package will also be on offer then, with Singapore Zoo and River Safari dual park combo tickets at $39 per adult and $25 per child (3-12 years old).

"Dinosaurs disappeared from the face of the earth in the fifth extinction, and today, sadly, we are looking at a possible sixth extinction. Animal species are being wiped out at an unprecedented rate. We have lost 67 per cent of the world's biodiversity in the last 50 years," Ms Lok said.

"Through Zoo-rassic Park, we hope to raise awareness on the issue, and rally our guests to do something to save the world's biodiversity before it is too late."

The dinosaur installations will continue to be at these two attractions until March 2017.

grongloh@sph.com.sg

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