INSPIRATION – FALL 2016/17 COLLECTION – FLIGHT TO PARADISE

MY INSPIRATION FOR FALL 2016/17 COLLECTION – FLIGHT TO PARADISE is taken from a trip to the Jurong Bird Park sometime back.

It has been almost four decades since I visited the bird park and honestly, all I could remember of that trip was the huge water fall!

Jurong bird park is perfect place for nature lovers, bird watchers, children and in fact its must visit place for everyone! Situated within the western part of Singapore, the rustic locale increases the rustic charm. It seems like a journey since departing lights and mass crowds of busy city centers and surrounding suburbs – languishing progressively crossways into an active road that gradually gets to be more and quieter as kilometers passes.

It is beautiful, colorful and wonderful world of feathers – birds of many different species found from different parts of the world. This lush green park is currently the world’s largest bird park in terms of number of birds, and second largest both in number of bird species and land area (after Germany’s Weltvogelpark Walsrode). There are 5,000 birds of 380 species in Jurong Bird Park. Of these, 29 are of threatened species. The park also has a waterfall aviary, lakes and coasts – a sprawling park carefully designed and maintained for its wonderful residents.

The waterfall aviary in the park, is one of the world’s largest walk-in aviaries. It has a very high waterfall designed for more than 600 residents. The sound of the waterfall, chirping of birds and the cool breezy air creates an enchanting and peaceful place with  a view that anyone would forget about the world beyond its walls.

A fabulous flamingo lake full of vibrant and regal colored flamingos running around… their home and playground. 

The penguins coast has many cute penguins waddling around… Such a joy to watch them running around in their specially designed coast – for the antarctic penguins. There are also penguins encounter session where visitors can feed them.

I also caught the entertainment in bird park too. Shows performed by the beautiful and very well-trained birds. Interactive shows are performed where the birds talk, walk, dance, sing and act too. Really fun to watch! 

A more colorful world then what I remembered from wayback then…

Same place. Different Times. Different memories and experiences for me.

 

HISTORY of Jurong Bird Park.PHOTO CREDITS – NAS

The Jurong Bird Park owes it founding to the vision of one man, Goh Keng Swee. In 1967, during a World Bank meeting, Goh, who was the minister of finance then, visited the aviary in the Rio de Janeiro zoo (Jardim Zoológico, or Rio City Zoo). Impressed by its free-flight aviary, he shared his idea of such a bird park for Singapore at the inaugural meeting of the Jurong Town Corporation in June 1968.

With rapid industrialisation taking place in Jurong then, Goh felt that the creation of a bird park would allow Singaporeans and their families to appreciate nature in an increasingly urban society.
By the end of 1968, a 20.2-hectare site was chosen on the western slope of Jurong Hill (Bukit Peropok) in Jurong for the location of the new bird park. The open-concept park with attractions and bird shows, was designed by John Yealland, the Zoological Society of London’s curator of birds. Construction began in 1969 and was completed by late 1970. The park was built at a cost of S$3.5 million, excluding the price of land, by the Jurong Town Corporation in association with consultants from the London Zoological Gardens.

The park received contributions of birds from all over the world; by opening day, 12 countries, seven zoos and 40 private donors had contributed birds to its collection.