12 June 2003 – The Jurong BirdPark's All Star BirdShow turns 21! To celebrate this momentous coming of age, the Park is throwing a boisterous birthday bash! And YOU are invited to party with us at the Pools Amphitheatre on 15 June 2003, Sunday at 11.00am!

Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon, Mayor of the South West Community Development Council District will be gracing the occasion as the Guest-of-Honour while Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) will be announcing their adoption of the All Star BirdShow.

The All Star BirdShow is a signature offering of the Park, a world-class birdshow featuring the finest from the bird kingdom! The very first of its kind in the Asia-Pacific region when it first started in 1982, it boasts the widest variety of performing birds in a single show in the world, from cockatoos, macaws, flamingos and pelicans to hornbills. It is an unwritten rule that a visit to the Park is never complete without a stop at the All Star BirdShow. And spectators have never walked away disappointed!

A favourite with locals and tourists alike, the All Star BirdShow has evolved through various incarnations with acts such as the professional birdie cyclists as they race each other to the finishing line and the immensely talented birdie mimics who will cough, sneeze, count, cry and sing their way straight to your hearts. It has also nurtured exceptional avian wonders like Big John, the Greater Sulphur-crested Cockatoo who is a whiz at raising flags, answering phones and mimicking chickens as well as Amigo, the Yellow-naped Amazon who speaks in 4 different languages, to name a few.

"I can't believe it's already 21 years. It seems just like yesterday when we first started laying the foundations. Everyone from the birds to the staff has worked tremendously hard to make these 21 years a blazing success. The birthday bash is not just a report card to show the public what the BirdShow has achieved, it is also a timely tribute to the people and the birds behind the show," enthuses Mr Raja Segran, Senior BirdShow Manager, Jurong BirdPark.

The BirdShow is not simply an acclaimed class act; it serves to educate the audience about wildlife and environmental conservation through entertainment. Bird shows are very important venues to teach and educate a captive audience. This is all part of the Park's efforts in empowering its visitors to play their part in conservation. The show has snippets of interesting information on the birds and the importance of caring for the environment. Every show ends with environmental messages, encouraging the audience to save the trees for the birds as well as to recycle, reduce and reuse.

"The close bond we have with the birds is clearly evident on stage and we want some of that to rub off on the audience so that they might leave, infected with this enthusiasm for birds and wildlife in general. Being enthusiastic will (hopefully) enable them to want to play a more active role in saving wildlife and the environment," says Mr Segran.

Another noteworthy event on the day is the generous adoption of the All Star BirdShow by Singapore Press Holdings (SPH). With the support of SPH, the BirdShow will be doubly inspired to push beyond its current standards to break new grounds in bird entertainment.

"This show is an excellent educational platform for raising awareness on endangered birds and fostering compassion for wildlife conservation, caring and treating birds in captivity. The stars of this show have done a great job as ambassadors of this world-class attraction. SPH is proud to be its adopter and hope to soar new heights together," said Ms Irene Ngoo, Assistant Vice President, Corporate Relations, SPH.

Sunday will be a day of provocative nostalgia and sprightly fun as the stars and staff of the show whisk you through the yesteryears and flit you through their hopes for the future. There'll be a never-before-seen BirdShow which combines montages from the shows through the years with brand new acts, specially choreographed for the 21st birthday bash! Guaranteed to bring on the 'oohs' and 'aahs', the special show will have some parents reminiscing to their children about the older acts they first saw when they came here as primary school students.

There's a giant cake covered with sunflower seeds, proudly sponsored by Four Leaves, for the cake-cutting ceremony presided by Big John. Have gorgeous fun as you get the exclusive opportunity to mingle with the birds and trainers (15, 21, 22, 28 & 29 June, 11.30am & 3.30pm) afterwards. Grab the chance to ask all the questions you've always wanted to ask about the birds, trainers and BirdShow! And don't forget to take pictures for remembrance! Also, a "Paint Pikasso while Pikasso Paints" (15, 21, 22, 28 & 29 June) contest will be held at the Songbird Terrace at 1.30pm for all inspiring artists to paint our famous painter cockatoo, Pikasso while he goes about his artistic creations. The Park's got a whole hoard of treasures to give away to the best artists! Well-wishers who make birthday wishes for the All Star BirdShow as well as vote for their favourite BirdShow act (15 – 30 June) get a dip in our treasure hoard too. As you can see, we are certainly looking for any excuse to give away freebies!

It'd be our pleasure to invite all children aged 3 to 12 years old to join in the festivities on Sunday for free! Simply produce a cutout coupon from the Straits Times, The New Paper and Lianhe ZaoBao dated 8 & 14 June 2003 to qualify for the free admission. The 1st 300 kiddies to come on down will also receive a limited edition All Star BirdShow tee shirt, sponsored by SPH.

With a barrel of activities, fabulous freebies as well cool prizes to behold; this is undoubtedly the birthday event of the year! So keep Sunday, 15 June 2003 free for us!

Issued by JURONG BIRDPARK & SINGAPORE PRESS HOLDINGS on 12 June 2003

(Media only) For more information, please contact:

Shirley Wong
Public Relations Officer, Jurong BirdPark
DID: 6661 7807, Fax: 6261 1869
HP: 9734 7615
Email: shirley@birdpark.com.sg

Francis Mah
Asst Manager
Corporate Relations, SPH
DID: 6319 1028 HP: 9697 8208
Email: mahys@sph.com.sg