Koala Mania is a hot new exhibit up since this May at the Singapore zoo. Situated at the Zoo’s Australian zone, it’s a permanent exhibit showcasing 4 Koalas on-loan from Australia. The zone enclosure is an open compound allowing you to see and interact up close with native Auzzie animals such as Emus, wallabies (no adult kangaroos here). It is a one-way route with distinct gate entrance and exit points.
We are here for of course the new Koala exhibit. Smacked in the middle of the Australian Zone compound is an air-conditioned 210m² enclosure housing the four Koalas (Idalia and Pellita Paddle and Chantelle) in absolute luxury. The area’s temperature and humidity are computer climate-controlled to protect their fur, which I find is excessive, even the Koalas in the Zoos in the hot outback don’t get this kind of treatment. But at least that helps to keeps us visitors nice and cool in the tropical weather too.
Crowd entry are regulated on peak periods to minimise distractions to the marsupials (like weekends), where people are advised to stay in the enclosures 10 minutes at a go. You get to see the Marsupials each clinging onto their favourite eucalyptus trees and 90% of the time you will most probably see them sleeping. Koalas are really lazy creatures- they only eat and sleep 20 hours a day. However unlike like parks and sanctuaries in Australia, you are not able interact or carry them, even for expensive rip-off photos notorious in typical Koala zoos.
I get this wave of goose-pimples each time anyone calls them, a “Koala Bear”. They are marsupials or pouched mammals, which are more closely related to Kangaroos than your typical say, Sun Bear. This unique feature allows them to give birth to their young like all mammals do, but continue weaning them in their pouches until they are fully developed. That is what the attraction try to educate visitors at least, until you get children screaming “Koala bear” at the nearest plush toy at the gift shop exit, I guess the word “Bear” simply just do stick!
The Koala enclosure opening hours are 9am-6pm, timed in-sync to the park opening hours with last entry at 5.45pm. There is no additional payment required for the new exhibit.
