Zoo accords new residents a rousing welcome
GEORGE, a two-year-old male Giant Otter, made his public debut at the National Zoological Park in the Botanic Gardens with a swift and neat plunge into his refurbished swimming pool to loud cheers around midday yesterday. This was shortly after assembled humans there signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC), which will help to further develop the zoo through private and public sector partnerships.
George (some people were firm in their resolve that he should not be called ‘Georgie’) was donated to the zoo by the Hyde Park Zoo Sanctuary and Tropical Gardens based at Hyde Park, near the Timehri Docks on the upper East Bank.
He replaces Johnny, another otter who was very popular at the zoo, and who died recently after a long battle with cancer.
And it was definitely a red-letter day for the zoo, since another gift from the same donor comprised three squirrel monkeys, which, on being released in their new habitat, promptly sought refuge on higher ground at the top of the cage.
Those present at the ceremony which saw George being installed in his exhibit included Mr. John Caesar, Chairman of the National Parks Commission (NPC); Ms. Yolanda Vasconcellos, General Manager; Mr. Mohan Ramrattan, Secretary/Accountant; Mr. Clayton Hall, Chairman of the Guyana Fauna Exporters Association(GFEA); the donor, Mr. Praimnauth Mohanlall, his wife, Violet, and their three daughters; Mr. Anthony Ramsahoi, Head Keeper of the Zoo; and  other special invitees, including the Head of the Wildlife Division, Ms Pooran; a representative of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Mr. V. Harilall; a representative of the United States embassy here,  and a representative of Farfan and Mendes, Mr. John Peroune, donor of George’s new home.
The hour-long ceremony was chaired by Mr. Ramrattan, and speakers included Ms. Vasconcellos, Mr. Hall, Mr. Casear, Mr. Mohanlall and Mr. Ramsahoi.
Ms. Vasconcellos said the recent gifting of new animals to the zoo is a fitting example of how a public/private sector partnership can advance ongoing efforts for the facility to become a key recreational, educational and conservational resource for the community.
“The zoo, with support from friends,” Vasconcellos said, “has been leading in environmental education, with respect to animals, for many years, but the need for more such efforts is growing, and so we need to join forces with corporate Guyana to ensure a future for wildlife, and higher standards in the areas of facilities, animal reproduction, and visitation.”
Hall, who is also a member of the NPC Board, said that in his opinion, the private sector support by Farfan and Mendes and the Mohanlall family is the dawn of a new beginning for the NPC and the Zoo.
“We in the GFEA are committed to making our contributions to the NPC; this is the first; there will be more from us in the very near future,” the former head of the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) said, as he joined other speakers in appealing for public assistance to the zoo for undertaking such tasks  as  the maintenance of exhibits, and other improvements which can make the entity the pride of the Caribbean in terms of ex-situ conservation and management of threatened endangered and exotic species of both Guyana and South America.
As NPC Chairman, Mr. Caesar observed: “The developments we want to see in the zoo in the next year or two would really need more people of the ilk of Farfan and Mendes, the GT&T, and the Mohanlalls in terms of donations and adoption of particular exhibits  in relation to the maintenance and refurbishment of exhibits.”
Yesterday’s donor, Mr. Mohanlall promised that the Zoo had not seen or heard the last of him, adding that the Giant Otter’s presence at the zoo will not only educate and inform the public of the  characteristics and behaviour pattern of “this unique animal,” but also serve as a source of delight and fascination to the many visitors.
“The acrobatics and swimming skills of a Giant Otter will always mesmerize,” he said.
With regard to the MOC signed between the national zoo and his private one, Mohanlall said what gives it impetus is the common goal the two entities share, which is the conservation of wildlife.
“By signing an MOC between the NPC and our company,” he said, “we are emphasizing a shared  objective for conservation  and sustainable use of living and natural resources; for the care, health, safety and security of all wild or caught fauna species; for supporting the LCDS, and for in-situ conservation and management of endangered animals. This MOC means that we will work together to achieve these objectives.”
Noting that the national zoo is a tourism destination for most visitors from overseas, Mohanlall said his Hyde Park Zoo Sanctuary and Tropical Gardens will continue to lend it its expertise gained from its fifteen years in the business, as well as other tangible help it can so as to enhance its capabilities.
He also pledged, much to the amusement of those present, to find “a soul mate” for George. Said he: “We will be supportive of providing a wife for George, because we feel that very soon, he will be very lonesome. And we will be pleased to give him a soul mate, because neither man nor otter is an island.”
Meanwhile, George, the celebrity of the occasion, appeared oblivious to all the attention being showered on him, as when he surfaced from the bottom of his swimming pool after a while, he was engrossed in snacking on a medium-sized fish he’d found.