Jurong Reptile Park - an abandoned crocodile park

I vaguely remember going to the reptile park as a kid, amused and frightened at the same time of the crocodiles kept in the enclosures. A visit to the now abandoned Jurong Reptile Park brought back those memories, although the place has now been reduced to a mere shadow of its past. >>>

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—— History of Jurong Reptile Park

The Jurong Reptile Park was a 2-hectare reptile zoo and the largest reptile park in Asia. The park had a collection of more than 50 species of reptiles including crocodiles, Komodo dragons, anacondas, pythons, king cobras, and tortoises, almost half of which were venomous. It included a walk-through iguana enclosure, a footbridge over a collection of hundreds of crocodiles, an underwater observation gallery, and the Cavern of Darkness. There were also crocodile feeding sessions and reptile shows.

—— The Show Stage

We walked into an unassuming building by the side of the road, which surprisingly opened into a big stage area. The coloured steps once sat audiences watching the reptile shows. The stage area had a grand staircase down the middle with its walls spotting the letters J.C.R.P., and surrounded by a moat that once housed crocodiles performing for the shows. I was half expecting to find crocodiles in the moat, but it now sits empty with only some murky and dubious water remaining. We climbed onto the stage and immediately felt like the star of the show. It still had a sense of grandeur despite its depilated state.

—— The Cave Enclosure

To the side of the stage building were smaller abandoned tanks and a manmade cave-like enclosure. Sections of the cave had blocked out the light entirely and was eerily dark. I peered hard into the clouded glass enclosures to see what was within, relieved that they were mostly debris and pieces of wood. This might have been the enclosures that once housed smaller reptiles in the park.

—— The Crocodile Tanks

The other side of the stage building had a few bigger tanks, which now stood empty and overgrown with plants. I stared into the glass tank and imagined how the crocodiles would swim about inside. There were still some information signs on the tank explaining the difference between a crocodile and alligator. Pretty interesting.

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