Beloved Singapore Zoo mascot Ah Meng lived a long glorious life for 48 years — smuggled in from Indonesia, kept illegally as a domestic pet before being rescued and transforming into a tourism icon.
The Sumatran Orangutan died in 2008, leaving behind a legacy as poster girl of the Singapore Zoo, where she greeted the likes of Michael Jackson, Prince Philip and more. Eight years since her passing, Ah Meng’s legacy lives on in the form of her granddaughter, Ishta.
On Friday, five-year-old Ishta was revealed by the Singapore Zoo as the orangutan who’ll be taking over the mantle of ‘Ah Meng’ and thus, the zoo’s new ambassador. Ishta aka the new Ah Meng was picked out from the rest of her siblings for her affectionate personality as well as a striking resemblance to her late grandmother.
Over 8,500 participants turned up at the Singapore Zoo over the weekend in the eighth instalment of the Safari Zoo Run — the race that was launched eight years ago to celebrate the life of the original Ah Meng. A portion of the proceeds from the Safari Zoo Run went towards aiding the conservation efforts of the Wildlife Reserves Singapore.
While folks won’t be able to come up close to the new Ah Meng (like how thousands of us did before in our childhood), visitors will be able to catch her in her free-ranging natural habitat, photography sessions and of course, the zoo’s Jungle Breakfast next to the Ah Meng restaurant.
