Five animals die in mini zoo amid sweltering heat

KUALA BERANG: Five animals at a mini zoo here have died, believed to be due to the hot weather.

Razia Rimba Zoo owner Datuk Seri Zakaria Abdul Razak said the extreme hot weather, sometimes reaching 40°C, has caused over 100 animals of various species in his zoo to face the risk of heat stroke.

He said the animals that died were a capybara, alpaca, kangaroo, spotted deer and matamata (a freshwater turtle from Brazil).

“Our team has taken various measures to reduce the risk of heat stroke on the animals.

“These include installing a sprinkler system, enlarging the pool, and adding ice to bring down the temperature.

“We also installed shade to prevent the sun’s rays from hitting the animals directly, but some still died,” he said when met at the zoo located in Kampung Dusun yesterday, Bernama reported.

Zakaria said to avoid more deaths during the hot season, rangers took the initiative to increase their monitoring, especially during the daytime, to ensure that there is a sufficient water supply for the animals.

He said plans to increase the number of animals in the zoo had to be postponed in view of the hot weather.

Zakaria said since the zoo opened in July last year, there has been an encouraging response by visitors and it has become an ecotourism attraction that generates a side income for local residents.

“The average number of visitors during the school holidays is between 800 and 1,000 people per day. The arrival of tourists from outside (Terengganu) indirectly helps boost economic activities of the surrounding residents,” he added.