"swing'ng" Singapore Zoo

So today I visited the Singapore Zoo with my mother and brother. I wasn't really sure what to expect, to be honest. For those of you who read about the Shanghai Zoo... you might know that it was huge, had some strange animal sections, and not always the best exhibits. The Singapore Zoo, however, is highly advertised as a "must see" of the country. They also have a Bird Park and a Night Safari, both of which I plan on visiting.

So the Singapore Zoo... it was awesome! You walk past  the entrance gates, and already they've transported you into some magical jungle-like world.

The first animals you see are these cute little monkeys with white faces sitting in this low tree... and then you realize, they aren't in a cage! They are free-ranging monkeys! There were about 6 different types of monkeys (or apes...whatever the proper terminology might be for each one...) that were "free raging" in different sections of the zoo including (drum roll please!) Orangutans!!!! haha, sorry but I really like orangutans. *interesting side note*... They always spelled Orangutans as two words: Orang Utan. Weird, right?
They also had some pictures of this really famous orangutan that used to live there... and he was with STEVE ERWIN!!!...Oh how I miss that man :(

Okay, okay... back to the zoo... They didn't have pandas here, but I think they are planning to acquire some within the next year  or two. They also had no alligators, but  they did have 3 types of crocs.
The Zoo is this section of land that juts out into a reservoir, and you could take a boat ride from one side to other... which had some nice scenery. It was a little strange, though, because the land across the reservoir and all around the zoo's property is what they call "live-fire land" or in other words, it is were the army and military and stuff do practice drills and things like that... so as we were taking this nice scenic boat tour... we hear strange sounds of firing from across the water.
The animal exhibits were all really nicely designed, and the animals seemed pretty happy with it... though I don't speak animal, so I guess I will never really know.
Another highlight?.... we all three got to ride an Elephant!!!!

Mom also had fun feeding the giraffes...

Overall? Awesome experience! It was beautiful, had a lot of animals...and showed a lot of them in a unique way! Fun for all, glad I went! Now I'm excited for the night safari...where you get to see all of the nocturnal animals roaming around!... unfortunately, many of them are probably predators, so hopefully I won't be eaten!