LOW YOUJIN Today Online 14 Sep 18;
SINGAPORE – Hikers and nature lovers can look forward to a network of natural hiking trails after the 67-hectare Rifle Range Nature Park is enhanced.
A bridge crossing could be built for the public to appreciate its stream, and steps may be installed as part of the hiking trail to minimise disturbance to wildlife and vegetation, and prevent compaction and soil erosion, said National Parks Board's (NParks) group director of conservation Adrian Loo.
The nature park, on the southern end of the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, will have more amenities for the public such as a visitor pavilion, toilet, shelter and carpark. These will be developed sensitively to blend in with the surrounding greenery, said Dr Loo.
Last year when NParks announced plans to enhance Rifle Range Nature Park, it said the park will feature an elevated walkway from Beauty World to the former Sin Seng Quarry, which was once one of the deepest quarries in Singapore.
It was 55m at its deepest point but has since been backfilled and will be transformed into a freshwater habitat with a lookout point for visitors to appreciate marsh birds, NParks said.
The hiking trails will allow visitors to learn more about the history of quarrying in Singapore and the heritage highlights within the site. These include the remnants of a kampong that used to be located at the fringe of the quarry along Rifle Range Road, such as steps leading to old houses and old fruit trees and shrubs associated with kampong plantings in the 1960s, said NParks.
The park will also feature aerial rope bridges to allow animals to move safely between Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and the park, as well as nest boxes for animals such as flying squirrels that hole in nests. Enhancement works are expected to be completed in 2020.
THE ANIMALS WITHIN
Biodiversity studies conducted within the park found that there is rich wildlife in the area that includes:
Malayan Colugo, a mammal with an extensive skin membrane that facilitates gliding between trees
Horsfield's Flying Squirrel, an endangered animal with nocturnal habits that feeds on fruits and insects
Sunda Pangolin, a critically endangered animal that feeds on ants and termites
Common Palm Civet, also called a Toddycat or "musang"
Malayan Coral Snake, a beautiful but venomous snake
Brown-chested Jungle Flycatcher, a migratory bird that can be sighted in Singapore from end-September to early November each year and whose global population is on the decline
Malayan Crow, a butterfly that is very rare in Singapore
