Romantic weddin venue for lovebird at Zoo Negara
Thrilled to share happy occasion with colleagues, animals
FOUR Zoo Negara employees, who each met their significant others during the course of work, held their wedding reception yesterday in the most familiar of surroundings — the zoo itself.
Amid the sights and sounds of the 57-year-old zoo, the couples celebrated the occasion, which was fully sponsored by the zoo, at the Tunku Abdul Rahman Theatre, popularly known as the Kancil Hall, with other zoo staff in attendance.
One of the couples, the zoo’s customer service executive Mohamad Rafiq Syafiq Mohamad Salehudin and Nursyahidah Ismail, who works in the Zoology Department, first met at the zoo and became a couple after two years.
The couple, who tied the knot earlier in March, said they were happy to seal their union at the place they first met.
Rafiq said they were also grateful at being able to celebrate the happy occasion with their colleagues.
“We also got to celebrate it among the animals which we love and care for on a daily basis. We were left speechless when the zoo management told us that they would bear the cost,” he said.
The other couple, Mohd Hafizi Azahari and Mustaza Syirin Mustafa, who both work in the Zoology Department, said they were grateful for the unique experience.
“We have wedding pictures and videos unlike any other, which we will happily and proudly share with our family, friends and children hopefully in the future.
“It’s an experience we will cherish all our lives and we have the zoo to thank for it,” said Mustaza.
Zoo Negara Deputy President Rosly @ Rahmat Ahmat Lana, who was the guest of honour at the double wedding, said the zoo was happy to host the event to enable their staff to share the joy.
He said the idea of hosting the celebration came from the zoo’s zoology and veterinary director Dr Naim Ramli.
He said the zoo was studying the viability of hosting weddings at the zoo as an alternative means of generating income.
“If and when it happens, it will most likely be after Hari Raya Aidilifitri. We are also looking at allowing guests of such weddings and functions to be able to purchase tickets at 50 per cent off to enter the zoo as another means to attract even more visitors,” he said.
On a separate matter, Rosly said the zoo’s animals were in good health and thanked those who had contributed to Zoo Negara, which ran on public funds.
“We are currently discussing how to attract visitors during Ramadan as a drop in visitor figures is expected. But we should be able to get a very good number of visitors during the Hari Raya period and festive break,” he said.
He said visitor numbers had been encouraging since the end of the second Movement Control Order and hoped that the trend would continue.