page_title: National Zoo of Malaysia
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: National Zoo of Malaysia / History
caption_attribution_description: Mycteria leucocephala English: Painted Storks at Zoo Negara, Malaysia.
context_page_description: The National Zoo is a zoo in Malaysia located on 110 acres of land in Ulu Klang, Gombak District, Selangor, Malaysia. It was officially opened on 14 November 1963 by the country's first prime minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman. The park is managed by a non-governmental organisation known as the Malaysian Zoological Society. For funding, Zoo Negara relies on gate collections and on support from donors and sponsors.
  Zoo Negara is home to 5137 animals of 476 different species. Over the years, the zoo has transformed itself to an open concept zoo with over 90% of its animals kept in spacious exhibits with landscape befitting its nature.
  Zoo Negara received MS ISO 9001:2008 certification in July 2007, and is a member of the South East Asian Zoos Association. The President and chairman of the zoo is Y. Bhg. Dato' Ismail Hutson.
context_section_description: In 1957, the Malayan Agri-Horticultural Association (MAHA) opened a miniature zoo. After the creation of the mini-zoo, the idea of proper zoo gradually gained momentum, and the federal government chose a spot in Ulu Klang, Selangor next to the border of Kuala Lumpur. In the 1960s, Ulu Klang was an undeveloped green area. In 1963, the first Prime Minister of Malaya (now Malaysia) YTM Tunku Abdul Rahman opened the zoo to the public. Zoo Negara was known as the "Zoo in the Jungle" due to the greenery that surrounded the area.
  The zoo welcomed its millionth visitor on 14 February 1966, just three years after opening, and by 1986, the zoo was welcoming over 1 million visitors per year.
  The area surrounding the zoo was covered with thick vegetation until the late 1970s as Kuala Lumpur underwent an economic boom. Given Ulu Klang's close proximity with Kuala Lumpur, the area was opened for large scale development as a planned residential area in the 1980s. It has expanded in terms of population ever since. The development has caused the zoo's surrounding areas and also increases the land value where the zoo is located.
  In the late 1990s and early 2000s, there were plans to move the zoo to other locations in Selangor. However, the plans were largely unpopular among the public as it is seen as an effort by some developers to capitalise on the value of the zoo's large land. With the support from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and the [Selangor] State Government, Zoo Negara will not be relocated.
caption: Milky stork
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