Spacious areas for visitors are among the upgrades at Johor Zoo in Johor Baru. — Photos: THOMAS YONG/The Star
MALAYSIA’S oldest zoo is set to reopen on National Day after a major upgrade.
After three years of closure, Johor Zoo on Jalan Gertak Merah in Johor Baru is preparing to reopen its gates.
Johor housing and local government committee chairman Datuk Mohd Jafni Md Shukor said RM9.6mil was allocated for the upgrades.
He added that this was the first time in the zoo’s history that major upgrading work had been carried out.
Mohd Jafni says over 5,000 visitors are expected on Saturday.
Jalan Gertak Merah is now a one-way street.
Mohd Jafni said this change allowed the authorities to create 100 parking bays near the 4.73ha zoo.
There is also public parking near the old Ayer Molek Prison.
“The Johor government is providing free shuttle service from the old prison to the zoo.
There will be four shuttle buses provided daily, with a frequency of 15 minutes,” he told StarMetro.
He added that Johor Zoo had also increased its staff strength to ensure the animals were well taken care of.
“Before the zoo closed some three years ago to carry out the upgrading works, it had about 20 staff members,” said Mohd Jafni.
The zoo’s two tigers are among its top attractions.
Now it has more than 30 employees as well as, for the first time, an in-house zoologist and veterinarian, he said.
“Previously, a veterinarian would only come to the zoo once a week or if an animal had a health issue.
“We are making the animals’ well-being our main priority,” he said.
Mohd Jafni said Johor Zoo was also in the midst of adding new animals.
Among the new attractions at the zoo will be show-and-tell events where the zookeepers bring out certain animals to educate the public about wildlife.
Mohd Jafni said the second phase of the zoo’s upgrading works was expected to start by the first quarter of next year.
“Among the works that will be carried out include increasing the number of parking bays by another 100.
“We also plan to get new fences at the animals’ enclosures and instal closed-circuit television cameras (CCTV) to keep a close watch on the animals and visitors.”
He said this was to ensure that visitors abided by the rules, which included not throwing food or any items into the animal enclosures.
Zoo staff feeding an elephant in their care.
As for the entry fee that had been increased, he said the prices were still affordable, especially since the fees at other zoos in the country were much higher.
Previously costing RM2 per adult and RM1 per child, the entry fee is now RM10 for adults and RM5 for children and senior citizens.
Those prices are for Malaysians, and it is free for people with disabilities. Foreigners pay RM30 per person.
Visitors can buy the tickets at the ticket counters or from the ekiosks at the zoo.
Mohd Jafni said online ticketing would soon be available.
All payments, he said, would be cashless.
“Everything is going smoothly.
“There is a lot of positive buzz – everyone is excited to visit the zoo again,” Mohd Jafni said of the reactions to the zoo’s preparations to reopen.
“As the zoo is set to reopen on National Day, which is a public holiday, we are expecting more than 5,000 visitors.”
He said there would be a 50% discount on tickets for a month after reopening.
He disclosed that the zoo was initially supposed to reopen in April this year.
White-tailed deer are among the zoo’s 275 animals.
“However, there was an issue with the sewerage treatment plant, so we had to resolve that first.
“Now that it has been resolved, there is hardly any smell coming from the animal enclosures.
“The other major work was to take down the main gate including fences, and build a new main entrance.
“This was to allow the public to have a better view of the animals from the outside even after the zoo closes for the day,” said Mohd Jafni.
He said Johor Zoo was first opened in 1928 by then Johor ruler Almarhum Sultan Sir Ibrahim Ibni Almarhum Sultan Sir Abu Bakar.
“It was known as Kebun Binatang (Animal Farm).
“On April 1, 1962, the zoo was handed to the Johor government and opened to the public for the first time,” he said.
Mohd Jafni, who is also Bukit Permai assemblyman, shared a little-known fact: Johor Zoo was in the past used to forge diplomatic ties with foreign countries.
A zookeeper cutting fruits and vegetables for herbivorous animals at the facility.
“Johor Zoo was the first zoo in the country to receive wildlife through diplomatic ties.
“Many countries such as Australia, Japan, the US and China have handed over animals to the zoo to foster ties with the state.
“Among the animals given to Johor Zoo back then were a kangaroo, wallabies, emus, raccoons and tigers.”
The zoo had come under scrutiny in the last 13 years because of the animals’ living conditions.
In 2011, the Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) seized two young elephants, a tiger and a chain-smoking orang utan.
Three years later, two pairs of marmoset were reportedly stolen after thieves broke into their enclosure, while in 2015, a video of an old male lion unable to walk properly because of untrimmed toenails went viral on social media.
Last April, a female Malayan tapir escaped from its enclosure and it was captured not far from the zoo.
Mohd Jafni said he was aware of such incidents that had plagued the 96-year-old zoo.
