Monday 31 August 2015

Johor zoo's grand old lion recovering

Johor zoo's grand old lion recovering



An undated file photo of the frail looking lion at the Johor Zoo struggling to get on its feet has since gone viral.

The emaciated lion which was reportedly in pain when its long claws dug into its paws, preventing the king of the beasts from pawing and gripping is on the road to recovery.

Johor Zoo manager Zakaria Rosli said the 18-year-old named Syarif was quarantined in a special cage to obtain full treatment.

"Sharif is now in a state of recovery after its nails were trimmed, and his appetite and body weight are also increasing as compared to the previous week. The long claws had prevented Sharif from pawing and gripping.

"We hope that after receiving adequate treatment, the lion will regain health as usual and can be transferred to its cage within two to three weeks' time," he told reporters after the Zoo Enrichment Programme with the Iskandar Regional Development Authority (Irda) here today.

Earlier, a video of the lion appearing weak and thin had gone viral in the social media.

Zakaria said Sharif, the oldest among the 13 lions in the zoo was usually active at night, eating three to four kilograms of meat daily to meet its dietary needs.

On the issue of relocating the zoo to Nusajaya, he said the matter had yet to be decided.

"We were informed that the location in Nusajaya covers an area of 50 acres (20.2ha), with 45 acres (18.2ha) to accommodate animals while the rest was for landscaping," he said.

Irda chief executive officer Datuk Ismail Ibrahim had indicated willingness to help in terms of financial aid or site preparation if the relocation was underway.

~News courtesy of The Sun~

Happy Independence Day


Tuesday 18 August 2015

Foreign-registered vehicles enter Johor can register for VEP

Foreign-registered vehicles looking to enter Malaysia via Johor can register for VEP

Foreign-registered vehicles entering Malaysia via Johor can now register for the Vehicle Entry Permit (VEP) via an online portal.

Malaysia's Transport Ministry said in a statement on Saturday (Aug 15) that registration for the VEP can be done online via www.jpj.gov.my/vep. In a move to encourage online transactions, only online registration is available at the moment.

According to the VEP website, all categories of vehicles ranging from individual- or company-owned private vehicles, commercial vehicles and diplomat vehicles are required to register for the VEP if they wish to enter Malaysia. This is required under the Road Transport Act 1987, it stated.

For registration, the owner or representative appointed by the owner of foreign-registered vehicle would have to provide information including his personal and car registration details, according to the ministry.

After successfully registering the vehicle, the owner will be advised on the collection of an RFID tag to be displayed on the vehicle's windshield at Malaysia Road Transport Department's (JPJ) designated premises.

There will be an administration fee of RM10 (S$3.40) imposed during tag collection, and the VEP is renewable every five years. The VEP is implemented by the Transport Ministry via JPJ for foreign-registered vehicles entering into Malaysia.

It will initially involve foreign-registered vehicles entering Malaysia via Johor and will be implemented at the rest of the 12 road entry points in Malaysia in stages. The second phase will cover Thailand, the third phase Brunei and Indonesia, and the fourth phase other designated entry points.

The VEP is in addition to the RM20 (S$7.16) entry fee for foreign-registered vehicles travelling through Johor. Singapore's Ministry of Transport said earlier this month the fee "discriminates against Singapore vehicles".

However, in a report by The Star on Monday (Aug 17), Johor Public Works, Rural and Regional Development Committee chairman Datuk Hasni Mohammad said the online registration should be extended beyond Aug 31, but the implementation date of Oct 1 remains.

Based on feedback, the JPJ needed to address some issues such as the registration forms being too complicated or ambiguous, said the official in the report.

“The two weeks may not be enough. There is no point in rushing to register everyone,” he said in the report, adding that the government did not want to "pile unnecessary pressure on Singaporeans".

~News courtesy of Channel News Asia~