More than 10,000 expected to visit Johor Zoo as it reopens after three years

JOHOR BAHRU – More than 10,000 people are expected to visit the Johor Zoo on the first day of its reopening on Aug 31, after being closed for three years.

Johor housing and local government committee chairman Mohd Jafni Md Shukor said that as at noon, 7,287 tickets had been sold to the public.

Datuk Mohd Jafni added that the number of tickets sold took into account only adult visitors, as children, the elderly and people with disabilities can enter free as part of a promotion to celebrate the zoo’s reopening.

“The usual ticket price for Malaysian adults is RM10 (S$3), but the state decided to offer a 50 per cent discount in line with the National Day celebration today,” he said.

He said some visitors started to queue as early as 7.30am, with families taking advantage of the National Day weekend to visit the zoo.

Mr Mohd Jafni added that the state has prepared 500 parking spaces at the old Ayer Molek prison nearby, with four shuttle buses to carry the visitors from there to the zoo.

Each bus can ferry about 4,300 passengers in a day, he said.

“We are also planning to increase the number of self-service ticketing kiosks because there is a large number of visitors who have come without bringing cash,” he said.

“We are also planning to station more personnel to man the roads and help manage the traffic flow around the zoo.”

It was previously reported that the ticket prices for local residents would be RM10 for adults and RM5 for children.

For foreigners, the ticket price is set at RM30 per person.

Johor Zoo is the oldest zoo in Malaysia, having first opened its doors in 1928.

It was opened by the late Johor Sultan Sir Ibrahim Ibni Almarhum Sultan Abu Bakar and was then known as Kebun Binatang. 

There are now 275 animals from 53 species, including mammals, reptiles and birds, in the zoo. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK