KUALA LUMPUR: After a long hiatus, Zoo Negara will reopen its doors to the public starting today.
However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the national zoo will limit the number of visitors to 1,000 daily.
Zoo Negara deputy president Rosly @ Rahmat Ahmat Lana said tickets would be sold online and over the counter.
"This will be on a first-come-first-served basis. We are allowing only 1,000 visitors at a time to ensure that they adhere to physical distancing measures.
"We are finalising arrangements, such as making sure there are enough parking spaces, to ensure a smooth flow," he told the New Straits Times.
The zoo will open from 9am to 5pm daily. Tickets are priced at RM45 for adults and RM18 for children.
The announcement on the zoo's reopening was made on its website, zoonegaramalaysia.my.
For enquiries, the zoo's general lines are 018-2331200 or 018-2133200.
Rosly reminded visitors to wear face masks and practise personal hygiene, including using hand sanitisers.
Zoo Negara, which depends on ticket sales to generate income, took a huge financial hit when the Movement Control Order (MCO) was enforced in March.
With the zoo needing an average of RM1 million a month to keep operations running, the management was forced to dip into its emergency funds to ensure that the animals were fed and cared for, and staff wages were paid.
It was given a reprieve in June when the reduced number of cases led to the relaxation of the MCO and subsequent shift into the Recovery MCO period, which enabled the zoo to welcome visitors. Media publicity about its financial problems led to donations from the public.
Corporations lent a hand by participating in the zoo's Adopt an Animal programme, thus alleviating the zoo's burden.
However, a surge in cases saw the Conditional MCO enforced in mid-October, forcing the zoo to close its doors again.
Zoo Negara was set up in 1963 and is managed by the Malaysian Zoological Society.