The Singapore Zoo (formerly known as the Singapore Zoological Gardens) was opened in 1973 with a modest collection of about 300 animals from some 70 species.1 Situated on the promontory of the Seletar Reservoir, the zoo adopts an open concept in which the animals are housed in open enclosures landscaped to resemble their natural habitats.2 The zoo currently receives over 1.7 million visitors each year, and is now home to over 2,800 animals representing more than 300 species, of which 26 percent are threatened.3 The zoo has scored a number of successes in the breeding of critically endangered species and has, over time, established itself as one of the best rainforest zoos in the world.4 The first zoo in Singapore was established within the grounds of the Singapore Botanic Gardens in 1875 at the suggestion of then Governor Sir Henry Ord. The zoo, however, closed in 1905 due to a shortage of funds for its upkeep as well as high animal mortality rates.5 Between the 1920s and 1960s, several zoos by private individuals were established. These include the Punggol Zoo started by William Lawrence Soma Basapa in 1928 and the Singapore Miniature Zoo in Pasir Panjang founded by Tong Seng Mun in 1957.6