The Singapore Zoo utterly impressed me. It was amazing, it was massive (28 hectares), it was colourful, it was full of surprises at every turn.

After  years of gawking at wildlife through TVs, photographs, and metal cages (cause Malaysian zoos are sad like that), it was such a thrill to actually get a close and clear look at the 2,800 amazing wildlife living at the Singapore Zoo. You could hear squeals and squeaks escaping from my lips ever so often as I try to contain my excitement. Occasionally, a free ranging monkey, or pelican, or peacock, or an orang utan surprises you when you turn the corner.

What I love most about the Singapore Zoo is that the animals actually look happy and well taken care of. Except for that one cheetah that was pacing in circles behind a glass wall, the other animals were happily stuffing their faces with food, or sleeping in the cheekiest of poses. And somehow, they were always showing us their butts.

So just for the heck of it, let’s test our animal butt identification skills. How many of these 11 animal butts can you recognise!? Winner gets a High 5.

1. Fast butt

2. Sitting butt

3. Spotty butt

4. Scary butt

5. Furry butt

6. This reminds me of a colouring book butt

7. Warty butt

8. Lazy butt

9. Amazing butt

10. Muddy butt

11. His nose was (almost) as long as the tail on his butt

If you’re in this little republic, you won’t regret getting out of the city for one day to check out the Singapore Zoo.  My only complaint is that I did not have enough time to see all 300 species!

Mei Mei Chu’s practical tips for visiting the Singapore Zoo:

• Free up about half a day or even a full day to see everything at the Singapore Zoo.
• Tickets are priced at 28SGD for adults and 18SGD for children. You can get package discounts if you also decide to visit the River Safari, Night Safari, and/or Jurong Bird Park. The ticket queue can be freaking long, so buying tickets online prior to arriving is a good idea. Plus, online ticket purchases get a small 5%-ish discount.
• To get there, consider taking the highly efficient and comfortable Singapore Attractions Express shuttle bus that connects different parts of the island to the zoo at only 6SGD one way/per person.

Also, say hi to Inuka the polar bear for me!