Trip to the Singapore Zoo

Hey Olivia! How are you? Do you know how excited and happy I am for you when I heard that you're visiting Singapore soon? I can't wait for your arrival! Anyway, I've looked through the list of recommended attractions from TripAdvisor that you'd sent me and I strongly encourage you to visit the Singapore Zoo!

                             

Zoo tickets

From what I had observed, the visitors to the Singapore Zoo are mainly local families with young kids, tourists, students, families with elderly and of course, animal lovers and people who enjoy photography, nature and the sun. The zoo is located at Singapore Zoo, 80 Mandai Lake Rd, 729826. The means of transportation to the zoo is really convenient! You can either take a train and/or a bus there, or even taxis if you are willing to spend a little more! The nearest train station would be Woodlands MRT, and the nearest bus stop is located just 1 min walk away from the zoo. The zoo is extremely popular and crowded when it comes to weekends, public holidays or school holidays, because that's when parents and their children are free for a visit to the zoo without worrying about their workload.

I would classify the zoo under the private sector as the main priority of the zoo is to earn profits by attracting and increasing the number of visitors. It is an attraction that is built for tourism. 

You might be wondering why didn't I recommend you other attractions instead, huh? Well, let me share with you my experience in Singapore Zoo and also the motivating factors. Basically, my trip to the zoo was fantastic, I couldn't even describe it with words! The experiences I had was a once-in-a-life-time thing. Anyway, the entrance fee was reasonable and I definitely had much more fun and enjoyment there for the price that I'd paid for.

There are a few motivating factors that attract visitors to the zoo. Firstly, it would be the unique experience that you'll be able to enjoy there. Why so? That's because the animals there are not caged and they're all living in the wild life habitat! You could see them up close without cages or metal poles/grills, isn't it awesome? 

Cheetah - just a glass panel away

Dining with Orangutans

On top of that, you get to feed and eat with the animals too! There is this segment "Jungle Breakfast with Wildlife" with the entire family of Orangutans! And you get to feed the animals there during their feeding time.

Besides seeing the animals up close, the next motivating factor would be the performances performed by the animals. You can also have a chance to interact with them! I went for several animal shows such as the "Animal friend's show". The show was to showcase the dogs' special talents and you get to volunteer and participate in the activities! 


Oh and not forgetting "Splash Safari Show", it was an eye opener! I sat at the splash zone and this makes it even more exciting. At the end of the show, you get to take a picture with the seal and receive a kiss from it, how cute. Of course there were other shows like the "Elephants at Work and Play" which I didn't get to watch it in time. Nevertheless, the entire trip was simply fun.

During "Splash Safari Show"

Another motivating factor would be the education and knowledge that one can get during their trip to the zoo! Not only are you able to see them, you get to learn about them! There are facts about the animals and you get to observe their behaviours as though they're in the wild life. 

You might ask what are some of the products that Singapore Zoo offers. For the core product, I believe the trip to the zoo would offer you a fun, beneficial and unforgettable experience such as getting to touch and feed animals that are in the wild, and seeing ferocious animals up close. In addition, you will also be able to gain some knowledge of the animals as there are facts about them. 

The tangible product of the zoo is the types and range of animals that they have. There are over 2800 animals with over 300 species for you to look at and explore!

Crocodile eggs.

Lion

Farm animals

Cute signage

As for the augmented product, it is the opening hours, retailing, weather and services that you receive. The zoo opens at 8.30am and closes at 6.00pm, so don't worry about not having enough time to explore the place! It also has souvenir shops that sells many iconic and popular animal-related stuff for you to bring it home for memory sake! They also sell raincoats if it happened to rain there, so no worries! Not forgetting this, there are many variety of F&B outlets for you to choose from when you feel like you need to take a break and recharge your energy. On top of that, there are stalls on the streets that sell drinks and snacks to keep yourself hydrate and energized. You probably won't get lost there as there are signages almost everywhere. Even if you are really lost, you can always approach the staff and zoo keepers there. They're extremely helpful and friendly so it isn't difficult to approach them at all. 

Moving on to the unique nature of the Singapore Zoo as a service product, the first characteristic would be The staff involved in producing and delivering the product are part of the product itself. The staff in the zoo are well trained as they are able to handle the animals during performances, usher the crowds while queuing for photo taking sessions, also able to answer questions asked by visitors and also giving directions if they are lost. 

The next characteristic would be The customers themselves are involved in the production process. For example, visitors are able to participate in the performances such as the "Animal Friend's Show" and "Splash Safari Show". They also get to ride on elephants and pony, which gives them experiences that they are not able to have. 

Moving on to The service product is not standardized, because the process is continuous with customers directly involved, the zoo can be affected by factors such as the opening hour, weather and the attitude of staff. These might affect the visitor's satisfaction level and experience that they have. 

The fourth characteristic is The product is perishable, cannot be stored.  In this case, if tickets to the Singapore Zoo is not fully sold out on a particular day, it can create special problems. Another example would be food that is not entirely sold. As food can't be stored, it generates a loss for the zoo. However, discounting is encouraged for last minute purchase to minimize the loss.

And finally, the last characteristic is The surroundings of the service delivery process are a feature of the service. The environment in which the zoo is delivered is attractive to visitors as animals are not caged, instead, they are in their wild life habitat. This allow visitors to have a good view of them and are able to observe how the animals behave in their habitat. The layout of the zoo also facilitates human traffic flow and is pleasing to the eye.

With the characteristics mentioned above, there are some difficulties faced by the Singapore Zoo. The zoo needs to make sure that staff are properly trained to serve as the attitude and image that they portray will affect the visitors' and also their next visit to the zoo. The weather condition is also a threat for the zoo. Singapore has a tropical rainforest climate and this makes it hard to predict the weather. Even though the zoo sells raincoats on wet weather, most of the animals would be hiding in their shelter and to some of the visitors, it might be a wasted trip, thus decreasing their satisfaction level. On top of that, the zoo needs to regularly bring in new animals and shows, upgrading their facilities and maintain the habitat of the animals to ensure that visitors will come back the next time.

Giraffe feeding time

I think that the Singapore Zoo is really successful and is highly ranked on TripAdvisor because of the facilities and services it has and offers. The brochure that the zoo gave includes map to guide you around, the feeding time, animals show time and also the star attractions. Most part of the zoo can be accessed by strollers, wheelchairs and prams, which makes it easy and convenient for the families with kids and/or elderly to travel and explore without any hassle or worries that accidents could happen. There are also scenic boat rides which are free and a horse carriage ride. To add on, the services I'd received the other day was excellent. The staff at the ticketing booth was really friendly and they greeted my friends and I with big smiles. We also managed to start a conversation with them as it was the non peak hour at the ticketing booth. I also think that the programs that the zoo offers are fantastic and unique because of the number of interactions one can have with the animals. During feeding times, you will experience getting licked by the giraffes and also able to pat the baby kangaroos!  

All in one brochure 

Horse carriage ride 

I personally feel that the Singapore Zoo has quite a fair bit of impact on Singapore. One of the economic impact is that it generates tourism receipt. The zoo is a man-made structure that is built for tourism, thus it attracts foreigners to visit Singapore and it helps to boost our economy with their spending pattern. It also creates more job opportunities for locals as it requires quite a lot of manpower to build and maintain the zoo. The Singapore Zoo also needs manpower in the operations, logistics, administrative, sales and marketing field.

As for the political impact, Singapore Zoo is one of the first wildlife reserves to receive the highest international environment and employee health and safety certification in Southeast Asia.

The environmental impact that the zoo has on Singapore is the large crowds that affect animals. The noise and litters from the crowds causes stress to the animals. This will lead to the poor health of the animals and even death, losing some of the endangered species.  

Phew! I've finally come to the end, I shall end off with some pictures below! Take care, Olivia!