Zoo reopening stalled due to renovation hiccups

New problems that kept arising during the renovation and upgrading works have caused a delay in the reopening of the Johor Zoo, said executive councillor Datuk Mohd Jafni Md Shukor.

The state housing and local government committee chairman said the over 100-year-old zoo, which was scheduled to welcome visitors again next month, has postponed the plan to August.

There were three main issues plaguing the refurbishment process, with one of them being related to the foul odour from the reservoir, where the animal waste flows to.

“We had to get additional funds to build individual septic tanks at each cage so that the waste can be processed before flowing into the reservoir,” he told the media after visiting Kampung Agas residents affected by water disruptions yesterday.

Mohd Jafni said just as the workers were fixing the problem, the reservoir’s wall collapsed.

Besides these, he said the wiring and piping system of the zoo were too old, so they had to be dug out and repaired.

Despite the hiccups, he said the contractor had promised to finish the job in three months.

He said the three issues involved an additional budget of Rm1.1mil.

On the planned reopening, Mohd Jafni said the zoo, which was closed for renovation in 2020, would first take in a smaller crowd.

“It has been years since the animals’ last exposure to visitors, so we have to conduct a trial run by limiting the number of visitors before it is fully open,” he said.

It was reported that a Rm9mil allocation had been set aside for phase one of the upgrading works, including the walkway and entrance arch, an outdoor parking area, online ticketing system and the refurbishment of other facilities.

“It has been years since the animals’ last exposure to visitors; we have to conduct a trial run by limiting visitors before it is fully open.” Datuk Mohd Jafni Md Shukor