JOHOR BARU: Visitors at Johor Zoo were in for a surprise when Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim dropped by with his children and grandchildren for an outing.
The Prime Minister arrived in Johor Baru via the Electric Train Service (ETS) from Kuala Lumpur, and he and his then family spent about an hour at Malaysia’s oldest zoo.
Many visitors were caught off guard by Anwar’s presence, with several taking the opportunity to take photographs with him as he greeted the public during the relaxed visit.
When met by the press, the Prime Minister said that he is in Johor Baru for an unofficial visit.
Johor housing and local government committee chairman Datuk Mohd Jafni Md Shukor described Anwar’s visit as meaningful, especially in conjunction with Visit Johor 2026.
He also briefed the Prime Minister on the progress of the zoo’s redevelopment, where phase one had been completed, and phase two is currently under way.
Mohd Jafni said Johor Zoo recorded more than 1.2 million visitors over the past 14 months, generating about RM5.5mil in revenue last year, with visitor numbers exceeding 600,000.
In a Facebook post, the Prime Minister said he took advantage of the long Federal Territory Day and Thaipusam holidays to ride on KTMB’s ETS train service from Kuala Lumpur to Johor Baru to mingle with passengers and get their feedback on the services provided.
“The response received has been very encouraging, particularly in terms of comfort levels and a smoother, more organised travel experience,” he said.
Anwar added that the government will continue to prioritise efforts to make public services safer as well as more efficient and people-friendly.
