[www.inewsguyana.com] – The Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment, through the Protected Areas Commission, has commenced the rehabilitation of the entrance road to the Guyana Zoological Park. The work which is expected to take three months to be completed will address issues related to flooding and erosion.
This project is part of a larger effort to rehabilitate and modernise the Zoo under the ‘Three Parks Initiative’ which was launched by the Subject Minister Robert Persaud.
The Ministry in a statement today said “the Commission acknowledges that there are a number of challenges facing the Guyana Zoo, and that this is just one small step towards transforming the Zoo into a modern facility. However, with support from the Beharry Group of Companies, and Conservation International, a larger master plan for the zoo has been prepared.”
According to the Commission, the vision of the modernized zoo is to connect Guyanese, and visitors to the Guyana, with the rich natural world that exists just beyond the limits of our urban landscape.
The overall visitor experience will be one of passing through a series of habitat types which represent different regions in Guyana.
Additionally, efforts are underway to create larger exhibit spaces that allow animals to roam freely within a more natural habitat. This will be key, as over 80% of the animals currently housed at the facility were not collected by the Zoo, but brought in abandoned, injured or as unwanted pets.
“Although the Zoo does its best to release injured animals once they have recovered, in many cases they are physically and/or mentally unable to survive in the wild. With the planned rehabilitation, the Commission hopes to improve educational programs and install interpretive graphics that inform visitors of Guyana’s unique biodiversity and the importance of conserving these animals in their native habitats” the statement added.
