Berani’s Groundbreaking Surgery
Pangolin surgery is tricky due to their scaly exterior, but “Berani” was braver than most other pangolins! Witness his journey from undergoing the first-ever surgery of its kind to rehabilitation and recovery.
Meet some of Southeast Asia’s native animals, including the Sunda pangolin, Asian small-clawed otter, Common palm civet, Leopard cat, and Sunda slow loris!
Learn more about our conservation efforts for them, and discover how you can get involved!
Trail Map
Feature Highlights
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Sunda Pangolins
With long, sticky tongues for slurping up ants and termites, a prehensile tail to grasp branches, scales made of keratin, and powerful claws to open ant nests and mounds, Sunda pangolins are some of the most wondrous animals to call Singapore home.
Pangolins In Peril
When threatened, pangolins roll into a ball to protect their soft bellies with their armour of scales. Unfortunately, this makes them easy victims of poaching, and up to 200,000 pangolins are killed and trafficked every year for their scales and meat.
Get involved, and learn how to help the pangolins!
Doing Our Part
After hunting pangolins in Asia close to extinction, poachers moved on to remaining species in Africa.
To mitigate poaching and encourage more stringent protection for pangolins, we worked with the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) on a proposal and its supporting documents in 2016. This led to all 8 pangolin species being uplisted to CITES Appendix I, prohibiting their international trade.
Our conservation arm, Mandai Nature is also a key partner funding veterinary medicine, research and husbandry of the Palawan pangolin in Philippines.
In The Neighbourhood
In Singapore, pangolins are distributed around the Central Catchment and Bukit Timah Nature Reserves, nature parks, and forested areas. When driving near nature areas, please slow down. Pangolins often stray from forests onto roads, where they're at risk of injury or death from vehicles.
If you spot a pangolin on or near a road, or in an urban area without a nearby forest, it might be lost. Please contact NParks or ACRES for assistance, and share your sighting with the Singapore Pangolin Working Group!
Saving Our Pangolins
Besides being a part of the Singapore Pangolin Working Group that drives the national conservation plan for Sunda pangolins, we also provide medical care and rehabilitative support for over 20 injured and displaced pangolins each year.
Pangolins that make a full recovery are released into suitable nature locations, while those with remaining health conditions stay in our care.
A Population For The Future
Night Safari was the world’s first facility to successfully breed the Sunda pangolin in 2011, with 2 more successful births since then! Breeding and caring for an insurance colony helps sustain their population under human care.
We also maintain a biobank of semen samples from rescued pangolins or roadkill for use in future assisted reproduction.
Singapore’s Last Wild Cat
The Leopard cat is a nocturnal hunter, agile climber, and occasionally, even a swimmer! Locally classified as critically endangered, it is estimated that there are only 21 of them left on Pulau Ubin, where it was rediscovered in 1997 after being feared extinct.
Leopard cats face threats from habitat loss and road kill. So, remember to slow down when driving around forested areas! If you encounter an injured or dead animal on the road, please contact ACRES or NParks.
Common palm civet
Recognisable by the “black facial mask” across their eyes, the Common palm civet can be found in both urban and forested areas.
Venturing into private estates to feast off fruit trees and seek shelter, these civets are often at risk of being trapped or becoming roadkill. As such, they are commonly brought in for veterinary care at the Wildlife Healthcare and Research Centre, Mandai Wildlife Group’s designated centre for rescued local wildlife.
Civet-processed Coffee
Kopi Luwak is an expensive gourmet coffee made from the beans of coffee berries eaten and passed out by palm civets. The undigested beans excreted by the civets are collected, washed and made into the coveted coffee.
A single cup of Kopi Luwak may cost as much as $50! Unfortunately, growing demand has resulted in cruel practices on civet coffee farms. The civets are housed in crammed cages and fed nothing but coffee beans. Please say no to Kopi Luwak.
Our Pangolins
Berani ♂
Rescued due to a broken femur, Berani is an excellent swimmer that’s also passionate about digging.
Gumby ♀
Though she’s rather aloof in the day (not really a morning-pangolin), Gumby is surprisingly friendly at night in her exhibit.
Nita ♀
Nita, our most senior pangolin, has given birth twice and always maintains a very pleasant demeanour.
Radin ♂
Radin was born right here at the Night Safari. He's a bit shy around female pangolins, but he’s slowly gaining confidence!
Bawang ♀
Our youngest and most adventurous pangolin loves to climb and explore every nook and cranny.
Animals On The Trail
Armadillo
Though “Armadillo” is Spanish for “little armoured thing”, it is more than just “a roly-poly shell with bands”. The armadillo can hold its breath for six minutes, and its diet consists of insects, small reptiles, and even amphibians.
Barasingha
Also known as the swamp deer, it is not uncommon for this large species to have up to 20 tines on their antlers.
Barking deer
Also known as ‘muntjacs’ or ‘rib-faced deer’, this species fights for territory with their "tusks”, which are actually downward-pointing canine teeth.
Binturong
Nicknamed the ‘Bearcat’, the binturong is actually related to civets and fossas. Amazingly, it smells like pandan leaves or buttered popcorn!
Brazilian porcupine
Though adorable, this species does not hesitate to attack an adversary, which it does by biting, or sitting on its haunches to shake its quills.
Buffy fish-owl
Though their diet consists mostly of fish, these owls also prey on crabs, shrimp, frogs, crayfish, small mammals, large insects, snakes, and even young false gharials.
Common barn-owl
It’s the most widespread owl species on Earth, but the common barn-owl has some uncommon vocal calls – it does not hoot! Instead, it produces an eerie, long-drawn-out shriek.
Eastern white pelican
Often seen fishing cooperatively, these birds swim in a wide arc to round up fish before scooping them into their yellow-orange throat pouches.
Giant anteater
The largest of the four anteater species, giant anteaters can reach lengths of 2-2.5 metres. Feeding on ants and termites, their 60cm-long tongues can flick in and out up to 150 times per minute!
Grey-handed night monkey
Large round eyes that are perfectly adapted to night vision help this arboreal monkey forage at night. While their diet may vary, they do like to grab and squish insects for food. Yikes!
Indian gharial
With its bulbous growth on the tip of males’ snouts, it’s no wonder this crocodilian gets its name from the word ‘ghara’ – ‘pot’ in Hindi.
Kinkajou
With dense woolly fur that acts as a raincoat, and a strong tail that they themselves can use to climb back up on, this carnivore is perfectly equipped to raid beehives for honey.
Lesser mousedeer
Being one of the world’s smallest hoofed animals, the lesser mousedeer has fangs instead of antlers.
Maned wolf
Despite its name, it is neither fox nor true wolf. In fact, it is the only member of its genus, Chrysocyon! Instead of howling, they bark or roar to let their mate know where they are.
Small-toothed palm civet
Also called the Three-striped palm civet, this exclusively arboreal omnivore has a diet of forest fruits, insects, frogs, birds, and occasionally, squirrels.
Spectacled owl
Special, spectacled, spectacular. This large owl’s song is a loud, pulsing series of deep hoots - not so different to a sheet of metal being flexed rapidly.
Spotted giant flying squirrel
These flying fellows glide from tree to tree by spreading their patagium – the special skin that connects its limbs.
Striped hyaena
One of the most important members of nature’s cleanup crew. They differ from their spotted cousins by communicating with body movements instead of noises.
Pangolin Rehabilitation
Explore our dedicated conservation efforts for the Sunda Pangolin and discover how we protect and rehabilitate these critically endangered creatures to ensure their survival in the wild.
Sudi’s Road To Recovery
Found after a suspected dog attack, “Sudi” was brought to us with a tail wound for emergency treatment. Daily wound-cleaning and physiotherapy were all part of his in-patient stay, while wild ant nests supplemented his in-patient diet.
Stardust The Hand-raised Pangopup
Health checks, exploratory walks, practising climbing, and learning how to find ant nests are all in a day’s work for Stardust on her road to being released.
From Rehab To Release
Witness “Springle’s” epic recovery! From going through weight loss to eating and foraging with vigour, this baby pangolin was nursed back to health in preparation for its return to wilderness.
