Have fun and bond with family and friends through a monthly outing with pets galore, and two new spaces to immerse yourself in nature, history, and more.

“Op-paw-tunities” for Play and Rehoming Shelter Animals

Pets’ Day Out, a new signature event of the Animal & Veterinary Service (AVS), a cluster of the National Parks Board (NParks), was launched on 17 August 2019. Pets’ Day Out is a monthly platform that brings together stakeholders in the pet community, including pet owners, animal welfare groups, pet businesses, and veterinarians. A key focus of this regular event is also to encourage the rehoming of shelter animals.

Ms Sun Xueling, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Home Affairs and National Development, was the Guest-of-Honour for this inaugural event. The event took place at HortPark, alongside HortPark’s popular Gardeners’ Day Out which features gardening and lifestyle activities.

Pets’ Day Out provides more opportunities for the pet community to network, together with their pets. Animal lovers can learn about pet care and animal health through free pet health check-ups, talks and workshops, and games. They can also shop for pet-related products.

The event aims to be accessible and inclusive to the wider community too. Those considering getting a pet can find out more about pet ownership and pet animals at the event, while non-pet owners can learn about how to interact with animals or participate in fringe activities during the event.

For more details on Pets’ Day Out, check out www.nparks.gov.sg/pdo.

Bonding Through a “Rail” Experience

On 31 August, NParks and the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) announced that enhancement works for the former Bukit Timah Railway Station and its surroundings as a community node will begin early next year. At a community event at the station, Minister for National Development Mr Lawrence Wong shared that the Friends of Rail Corridor will lead the community in activating the reopened stretches of the Rail Corridor along its southern half.

Minister Wong also announced plans for a new linear park that will be partly elevated above the Bukit Timah Canal – the Bukit Timah-Rochor Green Corridor – with construction expected to start in 2021.

Several stretches of the southern half of the Rail Corridor have now been reopened, following the laying of the Murnane Pipeline. Totalling around 4.2 km, the reopened stretches now feature a more inclusive and user-friendly track, providing greater access to families with strollers, wheelchair-users, and the elderly while maintaining the natural look and feel of the Rail Corridor.

The Friends of Rail Corridor, a part of NParks’ Friends of the Parks initiative, has led the way forward in activating spaces along Rail Corridor (Central) and in habitat enhancement and stream restoration efforts there since its formation in 2017. Open to all members of the public, the Friends of Rail Corridor serves as a platform for ground-up initiatives and community-organised activities to activate spaces along the Rail Corridor. As such, the group will also engage the community in activating and enhancing these reopened stretches, such as through events, community involvement, and habitat enhancement works.

Interested in contributing towards the enhancement of the Rail Corridor? Please sign up online at www.nparks.gov.sg/railcorridor/be-our-friend.

A Glimpse of Rich Biodiversity and History

Located to the east of the Central Catchment Nature Reserve and buffered by Old Upper Thomson Road, the 50-hectare Thomson Nature Park opened on 11 October 2019. It complements existing nature parks such as Chestnut, Springleaf, and Windsor Nature Parks to extend the green buffer for the Central Catchment Nature Reserve.

Mr Desmond Lee, Minister for Social and Family Development and Second Minister for National Development, attended the nature park’s opening event.

Boasting rich biodiversity, Thomson Nature Park is a key conservation site for the Raffles’ Banded Langur (Presbytis femoralis femoralis), which can only be found in Singapore and southern Peninsular Malaysia.

Biodiversity surveys indicate that animals, including the Raffles’ Banded Langur, pangolins, and porcupines, frequently move between the Reserve and the nature park via tree canopies, culverts or directly across Old Upper Thomson Road. To facilitate the animals’ safe movement, NParks has planted trees with spreading canopies and installed more rope bridges along the road.

Old Upper Thomson Road had also been reduced from a dual lane road to a single lane road in mid-2018. NParks and the Land Transport Authority (LTA) have also launched a 12-month pilot trial of the Roadway Animal Detection System (RADS) along the road, starting in October 2019. The first of its kind in Singapore, RADS uses video analytics to detect animals when they are near the road and alerts oncoming motorists to their presence through flashing road signs.

Thomson Nature Park is also the site of a former Hainan Village and rambutan plantations. NParks worked with the former Hainan Village residents to piece together the story of the village and its inhabitants though oral accounts, artworks, and archive materials. Trails have also been specially curated for visitors to explore the remains of the village and the forests.

If you are keen to experience Thomson Nature Park’s rich natural and cultural heritage, come on down to visit the park, which is open from 7am to 7pm daily.