MELAKA: A noodle restaurant that doubled up as a “mini petting zoo” has been ordered to close for seven days to clean up and remove all its animals from the site.
Besides goats, ducks, geese, rabbits and cats, it also kept an alpaca on the ground floor.
“The business licence clearly states that no animals are allowed to be kept within a shop or restaurant,” said Melaka mayor Datuk Shadan Othman.
He said the restaurant had also been fined RM10,250.
In a statement, Shadan said the Melaka Historic City Council issued a food business licence to the restaurant in April.
“But from June, the owner gradually brought in 23 animals, including an alpaca, goats, ducks, geese, rabbits and cats.
“The move to turn the restaurant into an animal exhibition site is strictly prohibited, he said.
Shadan noted that the alpaca was placed in a separate section on the ground floor at certain times, while the other animals were kept upstairs, effectively turning the outlet into a “mini petting zoo”.
“This is the first case we have encountered of a restaurant operating in this manner,” he said.
He said the closure, which takes effect until Sept 28, was issued after the outlet was found to have violated the council’s guidelines.
The restaurant owner was fined RM10,000 under the Entertainment and Places of Entertainment Enactment 2001 and an additional RM250 under the the council’s Food Establish-ment By-laws 2020.
He explained that the notice for the restaurant to carry out cleaning works and to remove all animals was intended for hygiene purposes.
