9 July 2011
A private mini zoo here that could not meet specifications drawn up by the wildlife authorities decided to surrender all its animals to the Malacca Zoo and the Paya Indah Wetlands in Selangor.
Their move to voluntarily cease operations is believed to be a first by a zoo in the country.
The zoo at Lye Huat Gardens, which is in Jalan Changlun here, had kept 31 protected animals from 17 types of species.
They include tigers, Malayan sun bears, leopards, rhinoceros, hornbills, flat-headed cats and panthers.
The process to relocate the animals to Malacca and Paya Indah started at 8am and ended about eight hours later yesterday.
Thirty-nine wildlife rangers from Kuala Lumpur and Kedah together with Malacca Zoo officers took part in the operation, using nets and cages of various enclosures to move the animals.
Tranquillisers were used to sedate the larger beasts, such as tigers and bears.
Kedah Wildlife and National Parks department director Rahim Ahmad said the decision to relocate was made by the zookeeper after an audit by the department in April.
“They did not violate any (major) regulations under the Wildlife Conservation Act but there were some specifications that they could not meet,” Rahim said.
The zoo management decided to cease operations due to the escalating costs in up-keeping the facility and they wrote to the wildlife authorities about it, he added.
However, the gardens where the animals were kept would continue to remain open to the public.
The animals were transported in several lorries and four-wheel drive vehicles and are expected to arrive in Malacca and Paya Indah today.
