HULU KELANG: Zoo Negara has acquired sufficient food supply and cash donations to last the month, thanks to generous support from the public.
Zoo Negara’s Zoology, Veterinary and Giant Panda Conservation Centre director Dr Mat Naim Ramli said donations and support from the public are also in the form of meat, fish and poultry, allowing the zoo to save money for the coming months.
“Usually, the zoo has to fork out around RM350,000 in total, but due to the generous donations received this month, it only cost us RM50,000 this month.
“The RM300,000 in donations is worth two and a half tonnes of meat and vegetables. We also received fish supplies from donors, which we need to feed the birds,” he said when met at Zoo Negara today during a sanitisation operation by the Housing and Local Government Ministry.
Dr Mat Naim said a big chunk of the cash donations came through the Zoo Negara adoption programme, where the number of donors increased significantly since the Movement Control Order (MCO) began.
“To date, we have collected around RM2 million in cash from the animal adoption programme.
“One person might just donate around RM10 to RM50, but the volume is high, with around 20,000 to 30,000 individuals coming forward.
“The public has been very generous, as we have received thousands of emails expressing interest in the programme, and hopefully, we can continue the adoption programme even after April,” he said.
On the government’s donation of RM1.3 million to cover food supply for the animals amid the MCO, Dr Mat Naim said it will assist Zoo Negara to sustain itself until year end.
However, he said things will return to normal according to the government in July or August, as the zoo will need visitors to continue operating.
On testing the animals for Covid-19, Dr Mat Naim said the zoo has been following the Health Ministry’s guidelines of checking zookeepers’ temperatures before handling the animals.
“There are no screening tests for the animals now, but if there are any test kits that are available and reliable, we can use it,” he said.
Earlier, Deputy Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Abd Mutalib visited the zoo for the sanitising operation, which was conducted as Zoo Negara is a main public attraction.
About 70 members of the Fire and Rescue Department, Health Ministry, Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ), Alam Flora and SWCorp were involved in the disinfection process.