Went with family, a good fun trip for the kids with an educational aspect to it. They really enjoyed it , and learned a lot about all the different animals. The butterfly outdoor section did look like it needed some maintenance, but besides that it was a good display and an easy walk around suitable for all ages. Some really good educational videos as well.
The downside for first time visitors will be the realization that international visitors to Penang will be charged more than locals for admission, but this is common place in Malaysia.
The gift shop at the exit was a negative experience unfortunately- We were looking at one of the displays but one of the shop staff wouldn’t leave us alone ,even though we politely informed her a couple of times that we were fine and didn’t need her help at the moment. I was going to buy a couple of gifts, but due to her insistent behavior we just left the shop without buying anything.