KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 21 — Zoo Negara recorded a jump in the number of visitors by up to 40 per cent for the period January to July this year, compared with the same period last year.
Deputy president of Zoo Negara Rosly @ Rahmat Ahmat Lana said the tourism destination received a total of 332,635 visitors for the first seven months of this year compared with 197,386 visitors last year.
“The highest number of visitors received was in July which was 58,063 while the lowest was in February when only 38,413 visitors were recorded.
“This jump in numbers is influenced by the increase in various programmes at the zoo such as the KeeperKu programme where students participate in Wildlife Husbandry and customer service, Zoo Camp, and Feed and Donate, thus successfully attracting the interest of the public and corporate organisations.”
He said, among other attractions that habe added to the influx of visitors include the presence of the ginger cat “Oyen”, who is now the “Star of Zoo Negara” following its unique three-year friendship with the giant Capybara at the zoo.
A visitor A. Nittiya, 36, was excited to have the opportunity to have her two children, aged nine and two, and her niece visit Zoo Negara after several postponements.
“I think this is an ideal time to be with family. We were so busy with work and school, now when we have some free time, we ought to go out to have fun, while learning something new. Even if the weather is hot, I make sure the children stay active.”
A tourist from Besut in Terengganu, Asraf Azmi also had the chance to take advantage of the free tickets he had received just after celebrating his 31st birthday on July 31.
“After all, it’s been ages since I’ve been here. So, now is the time to bring my children and wife. A lot has changed at Zoo Negara and the children are also very happy because they really love animals, especially when they got to see “Oyen” and the capybaras in action.”
For Sulastri Oktarina, 39, from Padang, Indonesia, the opportunity to travel to Malaysia for five days with her family gave here the opportunity to visit Zoo Negara and experience the uniqueness of the zoo for herself.
“This is our first time here, to take in the sights. The price of ticket is also cheaper than that of zoos in Indonesia. The location is clean and there are interesting activities. We enjoyed the visit,”
— Bernama
