Saturday March 21, 2009

A year to visit Zoo Negara

By JAYAGANDI JAYARAJ

THE management of Zoo Negara Malaysia in Hulu Kelang is doing everything it can to make the zoo a better place for the animals and visitors.

“But the public must bear in mind that the zoo is not government-funded. It is run by a non-governmental organisation, the Malaysian Zoological Society, which does not get a steady stream of funds,” said its director, Dr Mohamad Ngah.

Cute: Although smaller than the older ones, the new trams at Zoo Negara are noiseless and more comfortable.

He said the zoo’s operations and maintenance cost was between RM8mil and RM9mil a year.

“There is no budget for the maintenance and conservation of zoos in the Ninth Malaysia Plan.

“I wrote to Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Azalina Othman for funding and RM1.5mil was approved for upgrading work at the zoo’s entrance,” he said.

Tall beauties: Visitors crowding to watch the giraffes feeding.

The upgraded new “front”, which will be completed in two months, will feature various animal structures such as elephants, giraffes, orang utan and tigers.

Dr Mohamad said it was not fair for people to compare the zoo with the Singapore Zoo.

“The Singapore Zoo gets an annual funding from the government and that’s always important for maintenance work and adding new infrastructure.

“However, in terms of gate price, visitors to Zoo Negara pay only 10% of what visitors to the Singapore Zoo have to fork out,” he said.

Zoo Negara entry fees for adults and children are RM15 and RM6 respectively.

Wild welcome: Dr Mohamad with artist’s impressions of how the zoo’s entrance would look like once the upgrading project is completed.

As of this year, visitors are also charged RM3 each for tram rides in the park, while the zoo information pamplet is priced at RM2.

“If the pamplets are free, they are thrown away carelessly and the new trams are better,” he said.

These are just some of the changes introduced in conjunction with Visit Zoo Negara Year 2009

A number of activities have been lined up this year to encourage more Malaysians and foreign tourists to visit the zoo.

One of it is the 100-Day Programme Plan 2009.

Dr Mohamad said the 100-Day Programme was planned based on weekends and public holidays, and other occasions.

“Jan 1 kicked off with the launch of the Zoo Negera Loyalty Card which is for kids aged between three and 12. For RM20, a card allows a child free entrance to the zoo for a year. The child must be accompanied by an adult.

“Last month, we had a Valentine’s Day celebration where registered couples were taken for a visit around the zoo and then for a set dinner in the vicinity.

“Other activities include seminars, car boot sales, adoption programmes and display of certain animals, birthday celebrations, corporate functions, treasure hunts and family days,” he said.

Listless: They are one of the biggest attractions at Zoo Negara but this lion and lioness look like they need some cheering up.

“One of the zoo’s objectives is to educate people. How do you educate them if they are not in the zoo? So these are some ways to bring in more people into the zoo,” he added.

The zoo is also actively involved in research, training and conservation activities.

Dr Mohamad said there were also plans to put up buntings advertising the zoo along the routes to the tourist spots.

“We also plan to have lights at the bunting poles so we can start our night zoo, which was stopped for some time due to public complaints that the zoo was too dark for them to see any animals at night,” he said.

Some of the interesting highlights are the Bird House, Amphibian World and Reptile House, with the latest attraction being the Aquarium Tunku Abdul Rahman.

The aquarium, themed the Malaysian River Journey, features fishes and water creatures from seven zones of a river — from the mouth of river to the dams and mid-stream, wetlands, peat swamps, lower stream, mangroves and finally ends at coral reefs and the sea.

Currently, the zoo also made a proposal to the Sabah Zoo for an exchange of pygmy elephants and proboscis monkeys.

In total, the zoo has 5,000 animals from 500 species and more than 2,000 species of plants and trees.

“We have at least one million visitors coming in every year to the zoo and the number is projected to increase this year,” said Dr Mohamad.

The zoo, which was opened in November 1963, has been awarded the ISO 9001: 2000 recognition and has received South-East Asian Zoos Association’s certification.

It is located on a 49ha site in Hulu Klang, Selangor, and is run with the support of sponsors, donors, and public funds.