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Wildlife Reserves Singapore has undergone a corporate transformation and emerged with a new name: The Mandai Wildlife Group.

On Oct. 13, the Group announced its plans for the rebranding, new parks, and two new conservation and sustainability entities.

New logos and names

River Safari has been renamed River Wonders, while the new bird park is to be named Bird Paradise.

Singapore Zoo and Night Safari will retain their names.

The Group has rolled out the new brand identity with new logos, corporate attire, and visual assets.

The complete brand changeover is expected to take place by the end of 2022.

Mandai Wildlife Reserve

In total, five destinations will be grouped under Mandai Wildlife Reserve:

• Singapore Zoo
• Night Safari
• River Wonders
• Bird Paradise, opening in 2022
• Rainforest Wild, opening in 2024

The brand's new tagline, "Come to Life", is an invitation for visitors to experience the wonders of wildlife at the reserves, as well as a call for action to protect the planet.

According to Group CEO Mike Barclay, the rebranding was done to create an "all encompassing brand" for all the entities under Mandai Wildlife Group.

The hope, he said, is that the Mandai brand will be "as synonymous as Changi is today".

Two new parks

Bird Paradise, the new bird park in Mandai that will house the soon-to-be relocated Jurong Bird Park, is set to open next year in 2022.

The park will house one of the largest numbers of threatened avian species under human care, according to the Mandai Wildlife Group.

Another new park experience is Rainforest Wild, which offers explorations within a rainforest setting where habitat, adventure and animals are weaved together into one compact experience.

The rainforest park will also hold a new dedicated facility for the rehabilitation and treatment of rescued animals.

The Mandai precinct will be completed by 2024. By then, it will also be carbon neutral, as pledged by the Group.

To this end, Barclay said that the parks are actively greening its facilities by employing more solar panels, reducing water usage, and using black soldier flies to convert animal waste into fertiliser.

New attractions at existing parks

To boost its education and outreach capabilities, the Group has also planned several enhancements for the existing parks.

One of which is a revamped Kidzworld in Singapore Zoo, which is due to be completed by 2023.

Centred around a world leading petting zoo, the new Kidzworld will feature animals from the Zoo's online programme My Animal Buddy, so children can meet the animals they get to know online in person.

Kidzworld will also provide opportunities for children to embark on quests around the zoo.

The Night Safari will also see a new amphitheatre with a capacity of 1,000 people, with stages on five different levels, to tell the story of nocturnal animals in a compelling and immersive manner.

Parents and children can also look forward to Ranger Buddies, a programme that will feature a mix of digital of physical experiences.

Through daily learning missions, the programme will reinforce essential life skills, while encouraging kids to become everyday heroes of positive action.

Conservation and sustainability

Currently, the Mandai parks house 15,000 animals from 1,000 species, a quarter of which are threatened in the wild.

The Group is redoubling its efforts in conservation and sustainability via two new entities - Mandai Nature and Mandai Global.

Mandai Nature is jointly established by Temasek and Mandai Wildlife Group.

By working closely with conservation partners in the region, Mandai Nature aims to save wildlife, protect ecosystems, engage local communities and apply nature-based solutions to tackle climate change.

Barclay said that the Group aims to be involved in around 200 ex-situ breeding programmes in the region to conserve critical species.

On the other hand, Mandai Global will undertake ventures in experience economy, eco-tourism, edutainment and green technologies.

One such project would be to curate nature-based experiences for discerning travellers.

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Top images by Mandai Wildlife Group.