MADANI Rakyat Programme: Horse-riding, Petting Zoo to Thrill Children

JOHOR BAHRU, Aug 16 (Bernama) -- Families took advantage of the weekend holiday in this district to bring their children for animal adventures at the Southern Zone MADANI Rakyat programme held at Dataran UTM in Skudai.

This programme's most attention-grabbing activity for the children and their parents is horse-riding with 'Jack and Zack', which Johor Equestrian and the UTM Equine Centre run.

Children and adults alike were thrilled to try out this horseback adventure all for free.

Zafirah Hafiz, 30, said her two children diligently rose with the sunrise at 6.30 am when they learned that the MADANI Rakyat programme also provided horse-riding and petting zoo activities before they arrived at the site at 8.30 am.

"My children became the first to straddle the horse today. My first child got to trot with the horse twice... even though it was hot and sweaty, he still loved it!

"They had the opportunity to take pictures, stroke, and caress the horses so it was a very meaningful and therapeutic experience for the children," she told Bernama.

A private sector worker, Naharullah Jamaluddin, 30, was elated that he could expose his children to different animals at the petting zoo run by MOJO Adventure.

"I always look forward to programmes or activities like this because nowadays children are overly exposed to gadgets, so when there comes an opportunity like this, I need to expose my children to nature and get to know animals," he said.

Among the animals on display are raccoons, snakes, rabbits, and peacocks, and a special attraction is the Alpaca, a South American mammal.

The 2024 Southern Zone MADANI Rakyat programme covering Johor, Negeri Sembilan and Melaka is organised by the Prime Minister's Office through the Project Acceleration Coordination Unit (PACU) with the strategic cooperation of the Ministry of Economy as the lead ministry and the Johor government.

-- BERNAMA