A café in Melaka that combined instant noodle dining with a “mini zoo” has been ordered to close after a video of a lonely-looking alpaca inside the premises spread widely on TikTok.
According to Buletin TV3, the Melaka Historic City Council (MBMB) carried out a midnight raid on 21 September at the café located on Jalan Bunga Raya. The authorities instructed the owner to shut down the establishment immediately so that it could be properly cleaned.
During the inspection, officials discovered that the café was operating alongside a collection of animals, including an alpaca, goats, geese, cats, rabbits, and ducks. Mayor Datuk Shadan Othman, who led the operation, explained that the business only held a licence to operate as a food outlet, yet the owner had added animals since June without seeking approval. This, he said, was a serious violation of hygiene and food safety regulations.
“The licence was issued in April, but checks showed that the owner had already introduced 23 animals, including an alpaca, goats, ducks, rabbits, geese, and cats. We instructed the owner to remove all animals and to clean the premises thoroughly within seven days,” Shadan stated.
Public attention to the café grew after a visitor posted a TikTok video of the alpaca, describing it as lonely and neglected. The video struck a chord with many viewers, who expressed sympathy for the animal’s condition. The café’s owner, a permanent resident from Singapore, has since been fined RM10,000 under the Entertainment and Places of Entertainment Enactment 2001 and RM250 under the MBMB Food Establishment By-laws 2020.
The viral clip, along with reviews and photographs from other visitors, also drew criticism from the local NGO Stray Free Foundation. The group highlighted that the animals were kept in unhygienic and unsuitable conditions. Their observations included geese, rabbits, and goats confined in small, unclean enclosures; a pervasive smell of urine and faeces throughout the café; an alpaca left standing on a hard surface without enrichment; and nursing cats with kittens being handled excessively by visitors.
Despite the café’s use of open windows, fans, and air conditioning, many customers complained that the smell of animal waste was so strong that they struggled to enjoy their meals, which were priced from RM5.
When authorities raided the premises, they found the alpaca in a separate room, more than ten cats kept in a glass enclosure, rabbits housed in cages, and geese, ducks, and goats wandering freely on the upper floor.
Melaka Deputy State Executive Councillor for Science and Technology, Datuk Mohd Noor Helmy Abdul Halem, who was present during the raid, confirmed that the Department of Veterinary Services would carry out its own investigation and take appropriate action on 22 September. — Says.com
Image— The Rakyat Post
