700,000 expected to throng Taiping zoo

TAIPING: Some 700,000 visitors are expected to throng the Taiping Zoo and Night Safari after the upgrading of its animal enclosures and new facilities is completed this year.

Northern Corridor Implementation Authority (NCIA) chief executive officer Datuk Redza Rafiq said the upgrading of 12 animal enclosures, which was 90 per cent complete, would increase the number of visitors by five per cent compared with last year.

“We recorded 624,435 visitors last year. We expect to get a boost of 30,000 visitors as we recorded 240,287 visitors between January and last month.

“The upgrading project is part of the preparations for Visit Perak Year next year, and Taiping is by far the district with the largest number of visitors,” he said here yesterday.

Redza said the renovation, which was the third phase of the upgrading work, would be completed next month.

“We are waiting for the upgrading of the serow enclosure to be completed within a month.

“Only 10 per cent of the upgrading work is left until we can bring in the animals.”

Redza said the upgrading project, funded by NCIA, would create more job opportunities for locals.

“Our intention is to boost business growth here. Businesses in the area will prosper when the number of visitors increase. They (visitors) will visit other attractions here, such as Bukit Larut, so it is like a package,” he said, adding that NCIA had contributed RM3.75 million for