MELAKA, Aug 5 — The largest open-concept safari park in Malaysia with an estimated area of 20.2 hectares (50 acres) will be established in the state.

State senior Housing, Local Government, Drainage, Climate Change and Disaster Management Committee chairman Datuk Rais Yasin said, so far, it has received several proposal papers from interested parties.

"In the actual planning for this safari park in Melaka, we will make sure it is as fascinating or comparable to safari parks in foreign countries such as Thailand or Indonesia.

"So, the state government through the Hang Tuah Jaya Municipal Council (MPHTJ) and Melaka Zoo will work with Perhilitan (Department of Wildlife Protection and National Parks of Peninsular Malaysia) and private parties who are interested to ensure the success of this safari park project,” he said after officiating the Melaka state-level 2023 World Tiger Day celebration at the Melaka Zoo here today.

Elaborating, Rais said the project would be developed either in the Ayer Keroh Botanical Gardens or in the Melaka Zoo itself, with the total cost to be announced later.

He said the MPHTJ had already shown him the preliminary plan for the safari park and a study would be conducted to select the best proposal and module to make the project a success.

"In the Melaka Zoo, there is still an area of almost 12 hectares (30 acres) that can be developed into this safari park. So, we will choose the best module because we want to ensure that this project lasts as long as the Melaka Zoo, which continues to attract visitors.

"This is because as of July, the Melaka Zoo attracted nearly 700,000 visitors, just imagine if there is a new product to draw more visitors here,” he said.

He said that since the project is still in the selection phase for a proposal, he will try to ensure that the development of the safari park can at least take off next year.

"We will do a study but not take too long and we estimate that, at least, the groundbreaking ceremony will be officiated by the chief minister next year.

"I will also include this project in MPHTJ’s key performance index (KPI) for next year. As for the state government, I will take this proposal to the chief minister after the study is done for him to endorse so that we can make this project a reality,” he said. — Bernama