SINGAPORE - To mark its 50th anniversary on Jan 3, Jurong Bird Park will lower its admission prices and feature pioneer birds in special shows.

Throughout January, tickets will be priced at $2.50 for all local residents - the admission price when the park opened in 1971.

Tickets are usually priced at $32 for adults, $21 for children aged between three and 12 years old, and $15 for senior citizens, aged 60 and above.

Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS) said on Monday (Dec 28) that pre-booking of tickets is mandatory, to facilitate crowd management and safe distancing measures amid the pandemic.

In January, visitors can also look forward to a special edition of the High Flyers Show featuring Big John, a sulphur-crested cockatoo over 50 years old.

Big John was already a fully grown adult on the park's opening day. Birds of the species have a lifespan of 20 to 40 years in the wild.

The show is a spectacle with free-flying birds swooping over the audience's heads as the presenter shares fun facts about them.

Big John will not be making any flights, however, due to advanced age. He will be brought out on a perch as presenters share his life story and personality quirks.

Through visual displays, visitors can get a glimpse of how the park has evolved over the years, its historic moments and its future developments.

The photos include scenes from the park's early days, and the visit of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh to the Waterfall Aviary in 1972.

Visitors can also symbolically foster a flamingo next year by contributing $50. Each contribution comes with an e-certificate and voucher for a flamingo key ring.

WRS said the contributions will go towards "the care of animals, research and education programmes across (its) parks and support conservation projects to protect threatened species in Singapore and the region".

All this will be part of a series of celebratory events next year, including the launch of the park's first digital trail in March. More details will be announced later.