So it appears that rats and snakes encroaching into other animal territories in Malaysia’s national zoo is more common than we thought.
After a video of rats scurrying about in a penguin enclosure went viral online earlier this week, a spokesperson from Zoo Negara told reporters yesterday that it was not uncommon. He also said that pests like rats and snakes are usually able to enter the premises simply because it’s “old.”
With that said, the penguins are well taken care of, according to deputy president Rahmat Ahmat Lara.
“Our zoo is quite old. Sometimes rats and snakes manage to make a hole and go in (the enclosure),” he said. “We have already closed the one in the penguin enclosure and they (the rats) are not coming in anymore.”
Rahmat added that it was not a one-off incident. Despite having pest control measures in place, Rahmat said that rats are “difficult to control, like cockroaches.”
“The penguin is in good health. We do take care of them very well,” he later added, without elaborating further.
An eyewitness posted a video and three photos of the penguin enclosure to Facebook on Tuesday, drawing public criticism. Some had also questioned whether the RM300,000 (about US$72,000) worth of donations received by the 57-year-old zoo earlier this year were being put to good use.
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