Members of the public have complained over the comments, which Zoo Negara said were made in jest during a show featuring the zoo's snakes.

"It was just a joke so that the viewers would be wary of snakes," the zoo's director, Mohamad Ngah, was quoted as saying in the New Straits Times.

"They do explain the right method of handling the animal later in the show but I have asked the handlers to stop making such statements," he added.

A visitor, who said the comments ran against the zoo's conservation aims, told the newspaper one handler had also held a snake by its tail and thrown it towards the audience before jerking it back.

Malaysia's Wildlife and National Parks Department has said it is investigating the complaints.

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