Another way of saving the zoo
SINCE Zoo Negara is not in a good financial position due to the government’s decision to stop funding them, it is the right time for a strategic public-private partnership (PPP) that will not only save the National Zoo but place it on a more sustainable footing moving forward.
Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Datuk Shamsul Anuar Nasarah was reported as saying the Zoo and permanent exhibit operators should not continue to rely on Putrajaya to cover their operating costs.
Although Zoo Negara’s funding has been handled exclusively by private institutions, specifically by nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) and public donations, the government should not shirk its essential duty to ensure the financial viability and sustainability of the zoo.
The government is also able to assist by providing Zoo Negara with a matching grant that will undoubtedly be able to save our zoo from complete closure due to the Covid-19 pandemic, combined with funds by NGOs and public donation.
The survival of the country against the pandemic means a great deal for the zoo since it mostly depends on the number of visitors together with the ample funds and donations from people.
Dr Mat Naim Ramli, director of the Zoo Negara Zoology, Veterinary & Giant Panda Conservation Centre, reported Zoo Negara was facing a financial crisis and was expected to have just three months of emergency funding due to the third wave of Covid-19 infection.
Indeed, this is not a good situation as they should not bear too much burden due to the pandemic, especially the animals that are not supposed to be a victim of circumstances during this unprecedented moment.
Furthermore, it will be a real challenge for Zoo Negara to recover during the conditional movement control order (CMCO) as it is undoubtedly challenging to achieve ticket sales, product and service sales at this time.
Shamsul said his ministry had consulted industry players and the Malaysian Association of Zoological Parks and Aquaria to review the rules governing their operations under the Wildlife Conservation Act to ensure the sustainability and welfare of the animals.
Nevertheless, the government should consider the PPP as a way to alleviate the financial problem faced by Zoo Negara, which is a cooperative agreement between the public and private sectors to help the zoo during the crisis.
Perhaps day-to-day operations should be handled by the private sector and the government should continue to support the zoo in other ways, such as the distribution of capital expenditure between the government and the private sector, while the zoo’s operating expenditure can be entirely managed by the private sector.
To further resolve the financial issue, the government should continually review to temporarily suspend other unnecessary funding for less impacted institutions and focus more on Zoo Negara’s challenges at the moment, perhaps even putting the zoo under any yayasan, or trust.
This also involves tax incentives for private sponsors, like how the government agreed in Budget 2020 to lift the tax-deductible cap for funding activities related to arts, culture and heritage.
It will also be valuable for Zoo Negara, during the pandemic crisis, to know how the government plans to draw the attention of private sponsors and convince them to fund the arts, culture and heritage sector in Malaysia.
Additionally, DAP MP Hannah Yeoh also said the RM85.5 million budget planned for the government unit Special Affairs Department (Jasa) could instead be used for several other things such as funding Zoo Negara’s operations for about seven years.
If we take Perak as an example, the state government mentioned they could possibly allocate the fund to the Taiping Zoo which requires about RM400,000 per month for operating costs.
While our national zoo takes around RM1 million per month for its operational costs and is larger than Taiping Zoo, it will probably be manageable through the collaboration of funds by a successful PPP.
The situation can be linked to private institutions receiving government funding on an annual basis such as Tunku Abdul Rahman University College, which is an excellent example of how the government should continuously fund Zoo Negara despite privatisation.
Furthermore, the government may want to tackle the problem through effective measures to attract foreign investments, which means that something needs to be done to attract international organisations that are potentially interested in investing in Zoo Negara.
Recently, a well-known individual Ustaz Ebit Liew also received a call for help by Zoo Negara to save the animals there due to the third wave of Covid-19 infection, which has made it difficult for the zoo to make enough income for animal care.
Dr Mat added the zoo had not received any assistance since the CMCO began on Oct 14, hence there is an expectation the government can successfully come up with something to help them during the crisis.
Thus, the government should ensure the crisis will not continue to threaten Zoo Negara due to the third wave of Covid-19 infection by rapidly deciding the best options to help zoos manage the operational costs, perhaps continuing to fund the zoo without hesitation by PPP, for example.
“To further resolve the financial issue, the government should continually review to temporarily suspend other unnecessary funding for less impacted institutions and focus more on the zoo.