'Adopt an Animal' receives encouraging response despite MCO/CMCO- Zoo Negara

KUALA LUMPUR: For as little as RM25, you can now be an animal saviour by adopting one in order to help out with its food, upkeep and veterinary care by joining Zoo Negara’s ‘Adopt an Animal’ intiative online.

The best part is you may even get to visit your ‘adoptee’ at the beloved zoo under the initiative, which commenced in 1981.

Zoo Negara deputy president Rosly @ Rahmat Amat Lana said that despite the Movement Control Order (MCO) and Conditional MCO (CMCO), imposed during the COVID-19 outbreak, the zoo has been receiving an encouraging response in terms of donations, with many new donors stepping in to assist.

“We received overwhelmingly positive feedback as is evident from the many encouraging and compassionate words shared on various social media platforms. The number of donors increased especially from April to August 2020, with almost fifty thousand donors.

“Other than the traditional media, our team also utilises the zoo’s existing Instagram (@zoonegara_malaysia and Facebook (Zoo Negara Malaysia) accounts. We hope to expand further by offering live streams of updates and interact with viewers in real-time via a dedicated YouTube channel,” he told Bernama, today.

As a means for animal lovers and zoo supporters to contribute direct funding through the 'Adopt an Animal' programme, Zoo Negara has partnered with Ticket2U, Maybank2U, Lazada and Shopee since 2017 to make it easier for the public to contribute.

He said that the programme which allowed the public to symbolically adopt 30 types of animal species is part of an initiative to provide Zoo Negara with valuable funding required for general animal husbandry needs, and the donations did make a difference.

Asked how much the programme would contribute to Zoo Negara’s revenue, Rosly said it could only be determined once the CMCO was lifted.

Anyone keen to donate or support can go through the available packages under the initiative by visiting the Ticket2U portal at https://www.ticket2u.com.my/event/18171/zoo-negara-adoption-package, or via the Zoo Negara Malaysia online shops on Lazada and Shopee.

“Zoo Negara will be getting the financial support needed to take care of our animal family. In return, donors will receive an e-certificate of adoption stating their selected animal, as well as other gifts based on the package selected,” he said.

-- BERNAMA