If the lion is the king of the jungle, then the stork reigns in Zoo Negara, Malaysia’s national zoo.  They live, eat, nest, fly, walk and roam freely just about everywhere. To me, they are the kings and queens of the 110 acres of land that is home to over 5137 specimen from 476 species of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish.

I always like going to the zoo. My one complaint is I don’t visit it enough. After generally being condo-bound since the Movement Control Order (MCO) was announced on March 18, my husband and I visited the zoo. To just enjoy the diverse exhibits of animals, who were probably wondering where all the visitors had disappeared to. And, to walk about in the sprawling landscaped grounds.

For me, the zoo is like a park with perks. The animals are the main draw. But the grounds are equally inviting with ample room to stroll and meander without worrying too much about physical distancing. People are easily avoided. There is just enough cover from the sun from the tree lined pedestrianised roads. Strategically located snack and ice-cream shops offer sustenance when necessary and not. For those who rather not walk, there are trams to hop on and off to the different attractions. 

This time around, I was rather intrigued by the storks. There were so many of them. Lithe, busy wing flapping storks. When not flying, they were nesting in very tall trees. Pecking away on the ground in search of food. Walking, almost daintily and slowly, on their ever so thin legs, on the roads. We saw one with a long stick in its beak, trying to break it into a 2 by 4 for its nest. Maybe. Most congregated in and around the Tunku Abdul Rahman Lake, their designated home at the zoo. While a few, helped themselves to food in cages belonging to other birds and smaller animals like the Kancil or mouse-deer.

What was interesting was my husband and I have seen storks flying in and outside KL city. We didn’t know they were from the zoo. Apparently, Painted storks began to explore outside Zoo Negara in 2004, and created breeding colonies at the Putrajaya Wetlands and Shah Alam main lake in 2008[1]. Both these destinations are about 40 km away from the zoo. An introduced species, the Painted stork population started with four individuals brought from Sri Lanka to Zoo Negara in 1965[2].

Apart from the free-flying Painted variety, the zoo also houses Milky storks. Yes, we, or rather I, hadn’t noticed the difference in the plumage. Admirably, Zoo Negara grew its Milky stork population from just 10 in 1987 to 224 in 2009 via its captive breeding program. In line with its conservation efforts to protect the Milky stork, an endangered species[3]. Currently, some 800 Painted storks and over 40 Milky storks reside at the zoo. It was also nice to see swans, pelicans, egrets and herons, living quite harmoniously, at the lake.  

My collection of stuffed pink hippopotamus, particularly Joy, who is my blog’s icon, made me gravitate towards the hippo enclosure. Looking at their bulky appearance and slow movements, it’s difficult to imagine that they can run on land at speeds of 18-31 miles per hour, albeit over a short distance. Hippos can easily outrun and are known to be quite aggressive toward humans. Tips for avoiding a running hippo are to climb a tree or run between rocks to slow them down[4]. This made me recall my husband’s holiday at Chitwan National Park in Nepal, where he actually ran up a tree. A talent he didn’t know he had until he came face to face with not a hippo but a rhinoceros. As serious as the situation must have been at the time, I can’t help but laugh as the imagery is comical.

I also like Lemurs. One was quietly doing a dead hang from the top of its cage. After DreamWorks’ animation ‘Madagascar,’ all Lemurs remind me of King Julien, the ring-tailed Lemur, who sang ‘I like to move it.’ Another animal that caught my attention was the uniquely shaped Capybara. Despite being called a giant rodent, the family of Capybara that we saw chewing attentively on their feed of grass and twigs looked rather cuddly and cute.

My husband and I walked, read many explanatory boards, and had little chats with the animals at the zoo, especially the orang utan, who walked to the front of the enclosure when we approached him. It was a fun and well-spent Saturday afternoon. And, on our drive home, we saw a Painted stork sitting on an electric pole outside the zoo.