JOHOR BARU: The 95-year old Johor Zoo in Jalan Gertak Merah, here, will sport a new look after upgrading works start in the near future.
Sultan of Johor, Sultan Ibrahim Almarhum Sultan Iskandar said Johor Zoo, which is the oldest zoo in Malaysia, needs to be remade into a new tourist attraction to pull in visitors from home and abroad to the state.
"The Johor Zoo is a legacy of the late Sultan Sir Ibrahim Ibni Sultan Sir Abu Bakar and is the oldest zoo in the country.
"The state government needs to focus on various facets when restoration works are carried out, among them being the drainage system, animal placement and ticket prices in order to attract more visitors.
"It needs to be promoted as one of the new tourist locations in Johor that can attract visitors from within and outside the country," said Sultan Ibrahim in a statement issued by the Royal Press Office on His Majesty's official Facebook account, today.
He said this after granting an audience to State Housing and Local Government Committee chairman Datuk Mohd Jafni Md Shukor, who presented a work proposal to upgrade the Johor Zoo, today.
Johor Zoo was opened in 1928 under the name 'Kebun Binatang'.
Jafni said the zoo is expected to operate again at the end of this year after the upgrading works are done.
"The current ticket price is RM2 for adults and RM1 for children. We will review the ticket price, but will ensure that the new rate does not burden visitors and is lower than other zoos in the country."
He added that the state government allocates nearly RM1 million to the zoo every year for maintenance costs, staff salaries and animal feed. -- Bernama