Singapore’s Night Safari to open new Wallaby Trail today

Visitors to Singapore can expect animals hopping, slithering and crawling in their new exhibits at Night Safari’s latest Wallaby Trail.

This walking trail officially opens to the public this Friday, 17 August 2012, and will bring visitors through a fascinating discovery of wildlife in the Australasian region which includes Australia, New Guinea and New Zealand.

Originally the Forest Giants Trail, the revamped walking trail features 13 new indoor and outdoor animal exhibits. Visitors can expect close encounters with a range of marsupials, including the parma and Bennett’s wallabies in a walk-through exhibit designed to let visitors get as close as possible to its residents. Other animals include Australia’s native bird, the tawny frogmouth, and the white-lipped python from Papua New Guinea.

“We’re excited to highlight these Australasian species in the Wallaby Trail because the Australasian region is home to more than one million species of plants and animals, many of which are found nowhere else in the world. The introduction of this walking trail adds another dimension to Night Safari’s wildlife experience and we hope to inspire visitors to appreciate and protect the earth’s extraordinary biodiversity,” said Kumar Pillai, General Manager, Night Safari.

The most prominent feature in the walking trail is the Naracoorte Cave. This re-construction of the Naracoorte Caves National Park in South Australia offers visitors a glimpse into the lives of cave dwellers such as free-flying bats, the giant river toad and the beauty snake.

Through the use of dim lightings, this cave chamber showcases stalactite and stalagmite structures simulating a limestone cave. The trail also features an educational interpretive centre that showcases the beauty of Australasian flora and fauna through various animal and plant specimens.

The Wallaby Trail covers 4,800 square metres and can be easily accessed from the park’s main tram station.