Last day of business at Jurong Bird Park, rain doesn’t depress

Around 5pm, the rain finally died down and visitors began to leave the protected area and return to the park’s outdoor exhibits.

By 5:30 pm, visitors hopped on the tram and made their way to the exit. As they exited the park, many of them stopped for a few final photos at the entrance, posing with the bird figurines.

A number of former staff members also visited the park on Tuesday, joining their former colleagues to say goodbye to the park while taking pictures at the entrance and at the exhibits where they used to work.

Finally, around 6:30 pm, the last few visitors were ushered out of the park. The staff waved and thanked us for their support.

At around 6:45pm, Jurong Bird Park Vice President Daisy Lynn made the final closing announcement to staff over a walkie-talkie.

Five minutes later, the park shutters slowly came down for the last time.

As the shutters fell to the floor, staff led everyone who remained behind and cheered three times into Jurong Bird Park. Many people hugged each other with tears in their eyes and took a group photo outside.

A visitor who only wanted to be known as Mdm Juan walked away. She stood outside the gate with her 11-year-old son, watching her shutters come down.

Mdm Juan’s family had already visited the park on December 30, 2022, but wanted to know the last closing time of the park as they live nearby.

“This place won’t be here forever, so we came here to witness the memories,” said a 40-year-old woman involved in education.

Her family has been to the park several times and once celebrated her son’s birthday. His favorite exhibit is Penguin His Enclosure, where he had the penguin feeding experience.

“This is a nostalgic place. It actually brought back a lot of memories for us,” says Mdm Juan.

“But we are looking forward to moving to a new location and new facilities and new environments for our animals.”