Zoos of East Malaysia

Giant Panda

Giant Panda

Well-Known Member
5+ year member
I’ve been compiling a zoo list for East Malaysia (Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan) which I thought might interest ZooChatters. Let me know if there’s anywhere I need to add/subtract.


Sabah:
Aquarium and Marine Museum, University of Malaysia Sabah*
Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre
Green Connection*
Kipandi Butterfly Park
Lok Kawi Wildlife Park*
Sandakan Crocodile Farm
Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre
Tuaran Crocodile Farm*

Sarawak:
Aquarium, Sarawak State Museum
Jong’s Crocodile Farm and Zoo
Matang Wildlife Centre
Miri Crocodile Farm and Mini Zoo
Semenggoh Wildlife Centre
Taman Tumbina Bintulu
Turn Red Mini Zoo

Labuan:
Labuan Bird Park
Labuan Marine Museum


*Places I’ve visited.

I may return to Borneo next year and will post reports here if I make it to any more collections. In the meantime, other opinions are welcome.


Total "zoos" in East Malaysia: 17
Total "zoos" in Malaysia: 68
See also here for the companion thread covering the rest of Malaysia: Zoos of Peninsular Malaysia
 
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Great list Giant Panda, would have been useful a few months back during the planning stage of my trip... ;)

I have visited a couple of the Sabah collections, although I wouldn't classify the Sun Bear and Orangutan centres as "zoos". I will be reviewing these on my trip report thread (http://www.zoochat.com/249/zooboy28-goes-borneo-438947/) in the coming weeks.

An addition would be the Kipandi Butterfly Park, which doesn't appear to have its own website, but is mentioned here (Kipandi Butterfly Park | Places / Destination | Sabah, Malaysian Borneo) among other places.

@Chlidonias, I think they are the same place.
 
Chlidonias said:
is your Sandakan Crocodile Farm the same as the http://www.zoochat.com/249/sabah-crocodile-adventure-land-371415/ or are there two?
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Hi Chlidonias. All the info I’ve found suggests they’re the same place. I tend to call crocodile farms what they are; I’ve yet to find a good one.

zooboy28 said:
Great list Giant Panda, would have been useful a few months back during the planning stage of my trip... ;)

I have visited a couple of the Sabah collections, although I wouldn't classify the Sun Bear and Orangutan centres as "zoos". I will be reviewing these on my trip report thread (http://www.zoochat.com/249/zooboy28-goes-borneo-438947/) in the coming weeks.

An addition would be the Kipandi Butterfly Park, which doesn't appear to have its own website, but is mentioned here (Kipandi Butterfly Park | Places / Destination | Sabah, Malaysian Borneo) among other places.

@Chlidonias, I think they are the same place.
Click to expand...

Hi zooboy. I hadn’t joined a few months ago unfortunately, but I look forward to your reports and reviews (and have been following the thread thus far).

Thanks for the heads-up on Kipandi Butterfly Park and it’s been added to the list. Not sure how I missed it when I was in KK.

My personal definition of a zoo is somewhere that displays captive wild animals to the public. Let me know if that definition doesn’t fit the Sepilok orangutan and sun bear centres.
 
Giant Panda said:
Hi zooboy. I hadn’t joined a few months ago unfortunately, but I look forward to your reports and reviews (and have been following the thread thus far).

Thanks for the heads-up on Kipandi Butterfly Park and it’s been added to the list. Not sure how I missed it when I was in KK.

My personal definition of a zoo is somewhere that displays captive wild animals to the public. Let me know if that definition doesn’t fit the Sepilok orangutan and sun bear centres.
Click to expand...

Thanks Giant Panda! I hope to get a few days uploaded this weekend. Stay tuned... :cool:

The definition of a "zoo" is complicated and contested, and I think very subjective. Which is fine by me. I'm not sure I have a decent definition, but I exclude places with only one species and that rules out most conservation-based rehab, rescue and breeding centres (which I don't feel are zoos at heart). This has been discussed in several threads, including: http://www.zoochat.com/2/seattles-pacific-science-center-zoo-396384/index2.html

Having said that, I think the Sepilok centres belong on this list, as they are certainly places ZooChatters will want to visit!
 
I'd never heard of the butterfly park either.

I personally wouldn't call Sepilok's orang centre nor that at Semenggoh "zoos" because the animals aren't captive as such (although in general conversation I will liken them to zoos), unlike the sun bear centre or the Matang Wildlife Centre where the animals actually are all contained in cages. But, having said that, I would probably still have included them in the list if I had done it.
 
Chlidonias said:
I'd never heard of the butterfly park either.

I personally wouldn't call Sepilok's orang centre nor that at Semenggoh "zoos" because the animals aren't captive as such (although in general conversation I will liken them to zoos), unlike the sun bear centre or the Matang Wildlife Centre where the animals actually are all contained in cages. But, having said that, I would probably still have included them in the list if I had done it.
Click to expand...

Well you might get a review of the butterfly park soon... teaser - it didn't just have butterflies...

Some of the Sepilok orangs are caged, the youngest cohort at least, although these are not on display to the public.
 
zooboy28 said:
Thanks Giant Panda! I hope to get a few days uploaded this weekend. Stay tuned... :cool:

The definition of a "zoo" is complicated and contested, and I think very subjective. Which is fine by me. I'm not sure I have a decent definition, but I exclude places with only one species and that rules out most conservation-based rehab, rescue and breeding centres (which I don't feel are zoos at heart). This has been discussed in several threads, including: http://www.zoochat.com/2/seattles-pacific-science-center-zoo-396384/index2.html

Having said that, I think the Sepilok centres belong on this list, as they are certainly places ZooChatters will want to visit!
Click to expand...

I’m aware of the nomenclature issues, but don’t see any consistent logic in excluding places like the Pacific Science Center (which I visited many moons ago). As a result, my definition is about as general as it could reasonably be, but I agree that the two sanctuaries probably don’t count. Either way, I have little interest in seeing the free-ranging orangutans so many tourists believe are wild.

I look forward to your review of the butterfly park.

Aside: I think I’m right in saying there are no “zoos” in Brunei.
 
another zoo in Sarawak is the curiously-named Turn Red Mini Zoo at Bau, but I can't find anything beyond 2014. They have a Facebook page with a couple of comments asking if they are still operating.
 
Chlidonias said:
the Louis Mini Zoo is/was apparently the only zoo in Brunei. It was said to be closing in January this year.
See, for example, Louis Mini Zoo looking to sell wildlife collection | The Brunei Times
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Thanks. I learn the most useless information on this site :D

Chlidonias said:
another zoo in Sarawak is the curiously-named Turn Red Mini Zoo at Bau, but I can't find anything beyond 2014. They have a Facebook page with a couple of comments asking if they are still operating.
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Some photos from December indicate it’s still open, so I’ve added it to the list. None of animals, though.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Turn-Red-Mini-Zoo/366100166798092
 
I've uploaded photos from Lok Kawi Wildlife Park, the Green Connection and UMS Aquarium & Marine Museum in the Malaysia gallery.
 
I have visited Miri Crocodile Farm cum Mini Zoo. It includes pheasants, prevost squirrels, sambar deer, sun bears, macaques, gibbons, loads of crocodiles, fruit bats, cobras and rock pythons, leopard cats, binturongs, civets and marbled cats. Not the best of conditions and has had an accident with the crocodile feeding platform collapsing.
 
animalszoos said:
I have visited Miri Crocodile Farm cum Mini Zoo. It includes pheasants, prevost squirrels, sambar deer, sun bears, macaques, gibbons, loads of crocodiles, fruit bats, cobras and rock pythons, leopard cats, binturongs, civets and marbled cats. Not the best of conditions and has had an accident with the crocodile feeding platform collapsing.
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Marbled cats? Amazing! Did you manage to get any photos? Hopefully in better conditions than in other similar collections.
 
Around the summer of 2012 so I faintly remember a clouded leopard in its temporary enclosure as well as other small cat enclosures being built.
 
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