As the country continues to battle the third wave of this dreaded Covid-19 pandemic, many businesses and services are struggling to stay afloat.
One such service is our beloved national zoo. As a result of the virus, Zoo Negara, home to over 5,000 animals, is currently facing a terrible financial crisis and is said to only have enough funds to last them another three months.
Dr Mat Naim Ramli, the Zoology, Veterinary and Giant Panda Conservation Centre Director at Zoo Negara said the implementation of the country’s most recent CMCO has made it difficult to maintain operating costs, which totals up to about RM1 million a month, following reports from BERNAMA.
“Zoo Negara made RM450,000 in June, RM1 million in July, RM1.3 million in August and RM850,000 in September, but only RM150,000 in October”, said Dr Mat. And this is barely enough to meet the costs of the zoo which consists of wages (RM400,000), Food (RM350,000), and utilities (RM180,000).
Earlier in the year, Zoo Negara ran into crisis and called out to the public for help as their operating costs were heavily affected when the MCO was imposed in March. However, they were able to survive and take care of over 5,000 animals through the Adopt an Animal programme.
In April, the government gave a subsidy of RM1.3 million to cover operating costs for the month but a large majority of those funds (RM689,000) was used to pay for panda insurance while the rest was used for animal food and medical costs. Dr Mat added that the zoo had not received any assistance for more than a month now since 14 October.
With a three-month timer breathing down their necks, Zoo Negara is going to need all the help it can get. Dr Mat said donations from the public are welcomed and highly appreciated. If you are interested in helping to save our national zoo before it’s too late, visit this website to find out more about how you can do so!
Do consider donating if you are in a stable financial position. Hopefully, we won’t have to lose another national treasure to this virus.
Also read: Zoo Negara Is Desperate For Funds For Their Animals, But Here’s How You Can Help Them
