Ecotourism plan generates criticism

SINGAPORE - The Southeast Asian country is creating a vast eco-tourism zone in a bid to bring in more visitors, but environmentalists fear the development will damage natural habitats and are already blaming it for a series of animal deaths.

While it may be best known as a financial hub with scores of high-rise buildings, tropical Singapore is still home to patches of rain forest and an array of wildlife, from monkeys to pangolins.

In one green corner of the city sits a zoo and two sister attractions - a night safari and river safari - that have long been big draws for foreign and local visitors.