Malacca Zoo now has over 530 wildlife species

MALACCA: In a bid to inculcate the love for wildlife among the people, the Malacca Zoo now has over 530 species of wildlife for the public to view. Its director, Ahmad Azhar Mohammed, said the species included 1,340 animals. “Of the species, about 10% are endangered,” he told Bernama at the closing of 2010 Wildife Week at the zoo in Ayer Keroh yesterday.

Among the endangered species are the red panda, tapir, banteng (a species of cow), tree tiger and black panther. Ahmad Azhar said the zoo also conducted animal breeding programmes, especially for endangered animals. The Malacca Zoo started operations as a transit centre for wildlife in 1963, before it was launched by former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad on Aug 13, 1987.
­— Bernama