ZooRiffic 3 !!! Save Our Tigers, Give Them a Future

i. Voluntary Session

Volunteers arrived between 8 a.m. to quarter to 9 a.m. As we were expecting 30 volunteers, to our surprise, over 50 volunteers turned up! How amazing to see youth eager to serve… Each volunteer were required to register, while an amount of RM 25/- was charged as registration fee which included the cost of a Zooriffic T-shirt, a certificate, a goodie bag and lunch for each volunteer.

Soon by 9 a.m. the volunteers were divided into groups and handed over to the zoo’s officer. Each team were assigned different tasks.

Among the scope of 3 work prepared by Zoo Negara’s Education Officer, Mr Suzalinur Manja B Bidin were
(1) Cleaning of the animal’s living quarters.
(2) Helping zookeepers prepare food for the animals.
(3) Removing litter at designated areas

Zoo Negara provided most of the equipment. Participants were only required to bring enough drinking water (about 1.5 to 2.0 liters) and a spare set of clothes to change for the activity.

What have our volunteer’s got to say?’’’’’’

“Enjoyable, interesting… Do count me in for the next zooriffic.”
“We were so close to the animal…Fun”
“I really enjoyed zooriffic… The voluntary session was fun and not that tiring…”
“Got to know more people in zooriffic”
“ Now I know what’s life in the zoo…”

Well, hard work will never go unrewarded. All who volunteered were at the end of the day given a t-shirt, a goodie bag, and a certificate endorsed by Raleigh International Kuala Lumpur, the Malaysian Zoological Department, and MYCAT. (during the certificate and prize presentation)


ii. Orphanage Day Trip to Zoo Negara

In the meantime, kids from Precious Children Home were brought for a day’s trip in Zoo Negara. Among the activities held in the morning were, a tram ride around the Zoo with volunteers and a zoo guide, coloring animal zoology pictures contest at the Zoo’s Bear Complex using 2nd hand color pencils donated by people (friends, members of public, etc..), singing and warming up, etc..

Kids above 12 (there are 8 of them) had a great time touring round the zoo, enjoying the animal show, helping volunteers in logistics and attending the MYCAT/ MNS talk.

Kids brought back won prizes, sponsored by Andante Training Resources as well as posters and notebooks distributed by MYCAT and certificate of talk attendance (during the certificate and prize presentation).

iii. Lunch with VIPs and volunteers
After the tiring voluntary session and kid’s activities, lunch was served at 12 noon.
Food was provided by the Zoo’s caterer for all volunteers, orphans, organizers and VIP’s. It was sponsored by individuals and …
Right after lunch, everyone adjourned to the Tiger Talk.

v. Talk on Habitat Conservation Programme to Save the Tiger

Program : Tiger Talk
Theme: Save Our Tigers, Give Them a Future
Venue : Tunku Abdul Rahman Theater Hall, Zoo Negara
Time: 1.00pm - 3.00pm
Speakers: Loretta Ann Soosayraj
(MYCAT -Malaysian Conservation Alliance for Tigers)
Kanita Krishnasamy
(MNS)
Audiences: volunteers, kids from Precious Children home, Raleigh International members, Malaysian Zoological Society Members, Zoo Negara officers, public,
more than 150 people attended the talk between 1pm to 3pm.
It was free to all in the Zoo!
The Zoo agreed to grant us the space near the tiger enclosure for free! Our committee member patiently promoted the talk of the day & other events by distributing flyers.

Special Invitation: Zoo Negara President – Dato’ Ismail Hutson
Zoo Negara Director – Dr. Mohamad Bin Ngah
Dr. Kae Kawanishi – MYCAT research biologist
Zoo Negara Senior Veterinary – Dr. Vellayan

Talk Review : The talk included an introduction of MYCAT and MNS, an interactive attitudinal survey (which was kind of fun), Puzzle Video (heart- touching video clip), presentation/talk on habitat conservation and awareness, video show, poem exercise, and many more… MNS even gave out the MNS NATURALIST magazine, to those that attended the talk, gifts for quiz winners.
p.s. no real tiger’s involve.