KUALA LUMPUR, June 29 ― The Giant Panda Conservation Centre at Zoo Negara opened its doors for the first time to the public yesterday, attracting hundreds of visitors.
Many gathered as early as 10am to be the first in line to catch a glimpse of male panda Xing Xing (Prosperity) and female panda Liang Liang (Pretty).
A police officer from Sarawak, Azlan Abang Sah, 25, was one of the first to visit the enclave with his wife, Erna Kartina, 23.
“We are here on a holiday and it so happened it was also the first day of the exhibition,” he said.
“It’s exciting to see the pandas up close for the first time as we have only seen them on TV before this.
“The centre looks great and we are proud our country managed to build a world-class facility for the pandas.”
A student from Johor Baru, Nur Fasiha Othman, 20, said the exhibition was a satisfying experience.
“We queued up as early as 10am just to be the first in line. It was time and money well spent,” said Fasiha, who was accompanied by her two brothers.
There were some, however, who felt more could be done to improve the exhibition.
Kenny Khong, an advertising manager from Kuala Lumpur, said he felt the tickets were slightly overpriced.
“The RM20 entrance fee to the panda sanctuary is quite steep in addition to the RM30 entrance fee to the zoo,” he said.
“We also had to wait 20 minutes to get into the enclave and were only given 20 minutes to view the pandas.”
Kamarudin Azman, 53, a police officer from Alor Setar, also said visitors should be given more time to view the pandas.
Zoo Negara vice-president Rosly Ahmat Lana was glad with the turnout — 2,189 — yesterday.
