How the Night Safari began

The short answer

The Night Safari is a wildlife park built for animals that are active at night. Wikipedia says it opened in 1994 and calls it the world's first nocturnal zoo, and the park's own page uses the phrase world's first nocturnal wildlife park. It stands on about 35 hectares of secondary rainforest next to the Singapore Zoo and the Upper Seletar Reservoir, and the lighting is kept dim on purpose.

The idea

Wikipedia says the concept was suggested in the 1980s by Ong Swee Law, then executive chairman of the Singapore Zoo. The article carries a warning that its history section needs more citations, so read the details as the encyclopedia's account and not as settled record. What is clear is the premise: many animals are active after dark, and a zoo that opens only at night can show them awake.

Why it is so dark

Wikipedia says the lighting was designed by the London-based lighting designer Simon Corder to resemble moonlight, dim enough not to disturb nocturnal animals. That is why photographs are hard and why flash is prohibited, a rule the park states in its admission terms and visitor guidance. If you find the park darker than you expected, that is the design working, not a fault.

The animals

Wikipedia gives the collection as over 900 animals of over 100 species, with 41 per cent classed as threatened. The park's own page says guests meet more than 900 nocturnal animals. The booking page names Malayan tapirs and big cats among the animals you may see. Numbers like these change as the collection changes, so use them as an indication of scale.

How the trails changed

The route has been reworked over the years. Wikipedia says the Pangolin Trail was formerly the Fishing Cat Trail, and that the Tasmanian Devil Trail opened in 2012. The park's current page names four trails: Tasmanian Devil, Pangolin, Leopard and East Lodge. Wikipedia also lists a Tiger Trail, which the park's page does not, so the trail names you meet may differ from older descriptions.

Presentations come and go

Wikipedia says the Creatures of the Night presentation highlights animal conservation and sustainability efforts. The booking page lists it among the highlights and says presentations are subject to availability and may be suspended in wet weather. Presentations change over the years, so do not rely on a description of a specific act from an older article or review.

Who runs it

Wikipedia says the park is managed by Mandai Wildlife Group, one of five parks in the Mandai Wildlife Reserve, and that it began under the Singapore Zoo before becoming a separate brand. That is why the Night Safari and the zoo share an address and a transport network but sell separate tickets.

Read next: Zoo or Night Safari, or both?

The Mandai neighbourhood

Wikipedia says Singapore Zoo opened in 1973 on the margins of the Upper Seletar Reservoir, and that the Night Safari sits beside it. It lists five parks in the Mandai Wildlife Reserve, including the Night Safari and the zoo. The Night Safari and the zoo share the address 80 Mandai Lake Road, which is why a single transport network serves both.

What older articles get wrong

Descriptions of the park age quickly. Older articles may name a Tiger Trail, an earlier Fishing Cat Trail or a different set of presentations,. Use the park's current page for the trail names and the booking page for what the ticket covers. Use encyclopedia entries for the history, where they cite sources, and treat them with care where they do not.