JOHOR BARU: The country’s oldest zoo, Johor Zoo, requires a lot of work before it can be reopened to visitors, says state housing and local government committee chairman Datuk Mohd Jafni Md Shukor.

       He paid a visit to Johor Zoo together with state tourism, environment, heritage and culture committee chairman K. Raven Kumar recently.

       “As a continuation on Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi’s visit to Johor Zoo, I made a working visit to the zoo, which has remained closed since the movement control order started.

       “We identified many aspects that need to be improved, especially in terms of visitor safety, attractiveness, cheerfulness and visitor comfort,” he said in a Facebook post yesterday.

       Mohd Jafni added that efforts to upgrade the zoo would be carried out immediately to ensure it could become one of the main attractions in the state.

       Mohd Jafni said Johor Zoo, whose original name was Kebun Binatang, was opened by Almarhum Sultan Sir Ibrahim Ibni Almarhum Sultan Sir Abu Bakar in 1928 because of His Majesty’s interest and love for animals.

       “Johor Zoo at that time was the first zoo opened in Asia. In 1962, the name of the zoo was changed to Johor Zoo and taken over completely by the state government under the local government secretary office to this day.

       “God willing, a task force meeting on the Johor Zoo will be held in the near future,” he said.

       In May, The Star reported that many people have been left disappointed with Johor Zoo, which remained close for two years.

       There were also foreign visitors who travelled all the way to visit the zoo only to be disappointed that it was still closed after the Covid-19 pandemic.

       A notice at the zoo entrance read that the premises had closed for upgrading works since October 2020.

       It is expected to reopen at the end of this year.