Malaysia

Malaysia — Johor Bahru — The Zoo, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia

Nick Morris

Nick Morris

— 6 min read

In search of the Johor Bahru Botanic Gardens

May 2015

I had seen Johor Bahru Botanic Gardens mentioned on several maps and in several guidebooks, yet I couldn’t find them.

When I first visited Johor Bahru (JB) in 2012, I came across a list of things to do and see in JB. On the list was a visit to the Johor Bahru Botanic Gardens. I asked at the hotel for directions to the gardens, and I was told they were closed.

Then, one weekend in May 2015, I decided to go out and look for the legendary gardens. And I don’t think they exist.

I followed a map to where they should be and saw some gardens behind a big fence and some closed gates. I drove around the perimeter fencing and couldn’t find an entrance.

I did find one open gate, but that appeared to be the worker’s entrance to the gardens. And a guy on the gate said the gardens were not open on a Sunday.

I concluded that the Johor Bahru Botanic Gardens no longer exist, or if they do exist, they are no longer open to the public. If that is the case, it is a real shame because from what I could see through the locked gates and the fencing, they looked pretty good.

I found the zoo instead — Johor Zoo, Jalan Gertak Merah, 80000 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia.

I am not a great fan of zoos, and my visit to Yadanabon Zoo, Mandalay, Myanmar (Burma), hadn’t improved my views on such places. But having spent over an hour trying to find the botanical gardens, I thought I would have a look at the zoo instead.

Photo by Author — my ticket for The Zoo, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Photo by Author — my ticket for The Zoo, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia

The entrance fee was RM2 (40 p UK, 60 cents US), and the place was very popular.

The zoo was smelly, and the animal cages were not great. However, the spaces for the Tigers and some other animals were better than at Yadanabon Zoo in Mandalay. There was no parking; you had to park on the street.

Photo by Author — The Zoo, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Photo by Author — The Zoo, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Photo by Author — animal cages — The Zoo, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Photo by Author — animal cages — The Zoo, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Photo by Author — hippo pool — The Zoo, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Photo by Author — hippo pool — The Zoo, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Photo by Author — crocodile pen — The Zoo, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Photo by Author — crocodile pen — The Zoo, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Photo by Author — crocodile — The Zoo, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Photo by Author — crocodile — The Zoo, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Photo by Author — walkway — The Zoo, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Photo by Author — walkway — The Zoo, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia

The photo below shows a pond which contained numerous turtles. The turtles were fed by throwing lettuce leaves into the water.

Photo by Author — feeding the turtles — The Zoo, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Photo by Author — feeding the turtles — The Zoo, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia

Below is a photograph of the walk-in aviary. I didn’t go in.

Photo by Author — aviary — The Zoo, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Photo by Author — aviary — The Zoo, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia

Oddly, the pelicans were allowed to wander around.

Photo by Author — wandering pelican — The Zoo, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Photo by Author — wandering pelican — The Zoo, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Photo by Author — wandering pelican — The Zoo, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Photo by Author — wandering pelican — The Zoo, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia

The zoo was very popular.

Photo by Author — visitors — The Zoo, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Photo by Author — visitors — The Zoo, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia

There was horse riding available for kids.

Photo by Author — horse riding — The Zoo, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Photo by Author — horse riding — The Zoo, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia

And at the entrance, you could have a family ‘green screen’ shot as a memento of your day out.

Photo by Author — family photo — The Zoo, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Photo by Author — family photo — The Zoo, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia

As I said above, there is no parking on-site, so you have to park on the road outside the zoo. The chap in the photo seemed to be responsible for parking. I have no idea whether this was official, but he seemed to be doing good business.

Photo by Author — unofficial carpark attendant — The Zoo, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Photo by Author — unofficial carpark attendant — The Zoo, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia

And he was helping people to find places and to get parked in surprisingly small spaces.

Photo by Author — unofficial carpark attendant — The Zoo, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Photo by Author — unofficial carpark attendant — The Zoo, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia

Johor Bahru Zoo had Tigers, Lions, Bears, and Chimps. These animals had better living conditions than the animals near the entrance to the zoo.

Photo by Author — tigers — The Zoo, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Photo by Author — tigers — The Zoo, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Photo by Author — tigers — The Zoo, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Photo by Author — tigers — The Zoo, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Photo by Author — tigers — The Zoo, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Photo by Author — tigers — The Zoo, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia

The tigers were magnificent-looking, and it was great to be able to see them, but I was still not happy about them being in a zoo. The only plus was there would be no way that I would have been able to get the above shots in the wild.

Photo by Author — tigers — The Zoo, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Photo by Author — tigers — The Zoo, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Photo by Author — The Zoo, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Photo by Author — The Zoo, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia

The tigers were at least moving; the lions were fast asleep.

Photo by Author — lions— The Zoo, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Photo by Author — lions— The Zoo, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia

Again, there is no way I could get such a shot of the magnificent beast in the wild.

Photo by Author — lions— The Zoo, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Photo by Author — lions— The Zoo, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Photo by Author — visitors— The Zoo, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Photo by Author — visitors— The Zoo, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia

The bears seemed sad and lonely.

Photo by Author — bear— The Zoo, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Photo by Author — bear— The Zoo, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Photo by Author — monkeys— The Zoo, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Photo by Author — monkeys— The Zoo, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia

And the chimps seemed unhappy.

Photo by Author — monkeys— The Zoo, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
Photo by Author — monkeys— The Zoo, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia

Johor Bahru Zoo, what can I say? It was sad to see the animals in cages, but at the same time, it was good to get so close to tigers and lions. You could appreciate what beautiful creatures they are.

Some sections of the zoo could do with modernising, as the cages were grim. The zoo could also do more on the educational side of things. There was a lack of educational material available.

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