A new dining with wildlife attraction called RIMBA, designed to educate guests about the fragility of the rainforest and the wildlife it sustains, will open on Singapore’s sunshine resort of Sentosa in mid 2004.

It will cost S$15m to create the attraction, which will allow guests to dine beside wild animals including lions, cheetahs, jaguars, gibbons and exotic birds. Some of the animals, including the primates, will be visible across lakes while others will be able to roam freely. None of the animals will be in cages.

As well as an air-conditioned restaurant and alfresco dining area, RIMBA will comprise three private function rooms, an event hall and garden lawn, as well as a lakeside bar and interactive children’s playground. The ‘world barbeque’ menu will feature barbequed meats and seafood from around the world with vegetarian barbequed dishes available for vegetable lovers!

RIMBA, meaning ‘deep forest’ in Malay, is the idea of CEO Bernard Harrison. Harrison is the former chief executive officer of Wildlife Reserves Singapore - the holding company for the Singapore Zoo, Night Safari and Bird Park. He is also the past president of the South East Asian Zoos Association (SEAZA) and an honorary member of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA).

“RIMBA is about natural and beautiful settings. A convenient jungle retreat where people can uproot themselves from city life and plant themselves in the midst of nature to soak up food for the soul” Harrison says. “It will showcase the fragility of the forest and how we should be mindful of the environment when going about our everyday lives.”

Part of the proceeds from the attraction will be donated to a fund to support local and regional conservation projects, with guests able to choose which project their donation goes to.

“It is about empowering the individual.” Says Harrison. “It’s about giving them the real opportunity to make a decision, knowing that it will have an immediate and direct impact on the environment and the animals they want to save.”

Construction of RIMBA begins in September 2004 on four hectares of land near the entrance to Sentosa. It will occupy the site of the old Maritime Museum, which was closed in April 2004 as part of a ten-year redevelopment of Sentosa. When it’s completed, Sentosa will feature a high-energy zone including a new theme park and a nature zone where RIMBA will be located.

Details: +65 6279 1776