KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 4 — Some of you may have seen the wedding of celebrity couple Siti Khadijah Jaafar and Otto Md Tahir in Zoo Negara last month and thought it was a one-off because of who they are.
Not true.
Zoo Negara is now making it possible for all animal-lovers to hold their weddings there.
Even better, couples can also tour the zoo and feed the animals on their special day. Specially trained painted storks will also serve as bridesmaids and groomsmen to walk the bride down the “aisle”.
According to Zoo Negara deputy president Datuk Rosly Lana this wedding package was inspired by countless couples who had chosen the zoo as their pre-wedding photoshoot venue.
“It’s for the animal-lovers, and because we noticed that wedding venues are often fully booked, we thought why not open up a venue for those who love animals and want to host their guests in the zoo,” Rosly said recently.
So what’s in the package?
It includes rental of the Dewan Kancil or Kancil Hall, which was recently refurbished, a list of thoughtfully selected catering services to choose from and specially tailored activities for the bride and groom.
The hall can hold about 450 guests for a sit-down reception.
For now, the package which starts from RM10,000 is available for day-time weddings where the bride and groom will get a chance to feed animals such as the hippopotamus, the popular ginger-coloured cat Oyen and the show parrots.
As for weddings held at night, the type of animals that the bride and groom can interact with will differ.
“We have yet to identify what are the types of nocturnal animals that are safe for human interaction as most of them are predatory.
“We encourage couples who are interested to enquire with the customer service department, as we are open to customising activities which suit their plans,” a Zoo Negara staff member said
Will all this activity stress out the zoo residents?
Animal-lovers may be concerned that all the noise including sound systems, and the usage of musical instruments such as the kompang will distress the animals.
“The location of the venue is only near the fishes and show animals, and these animals are used to noise.
“The venue is also far away from the other animals so there is no need to worry about noise scaring the animals,” the zoo management said, adding that this is also near parking entrance B for the convenience of wedding guests.
And of course, couples will also get to decide how much noise they want/don’t want — if they still have concerns about noise pollution. For example, opting to not use an extensive sound system and/or loud music.
How about crowd control?
To prevent congestion on the zoo premises, the wedding packages are only available during off-peak seasons.
“Couples can choose any day apart from school holidays and public holidays to prevent overcrowding inside the zoo compound.
“There will be too much human traffic in the zoo otherwise, and it will disrupt the other members of the public who are here to visit the zoo,” the zoo management said.
