THE MISSION of the Georgetown Zoo to promote a wildlife sanctuary for the combined purposes of conservation and education will be greatly enhanced with the completion of a GYD $8.8M aviary for the longstanding resident harpy eagles by November. A contract for the construction of the aviary was last week awarded to JPM’s General Construction and Engineering Services through the National Tendering Process, and work should begin shortly, with a completion date fixed at four months from the start date, Manager of the National Parks Commission (NPC) and the Zoological Park, Ms. Youlanda Vasconcellos disclosed last week.
Vasconcellos said the construction of the aviary was  made possible through an Agreement with the Odense Zoo of Denmark and the Guyana Zoo under a sister-zoo relationship designed to bring benefits to both entities.
The Harpy Eagle Flight cage will have a length of 100 ft and will be 60 ft wide and 40 ft high.
Trees in the vicinity of the construction area will be incorporated into the architecture, thereby allowing the structure to have the dimensions and landscaping features that are as near as possible to the natural habitat of the Eagle.
Within the main cage, there is to be a quarantine area which will be put into use when the eagles need to be treated or when maintenance needs to be performed in the main cage.
There is also a safety area for both the main cage and the quarantine area for the zookeepers. The exhibit will feature an elevated walkway around the cage for viewing of the eagles at the top of the trees, and a natural waterway flowing through the cage.
The Harpy Eagle, the largest and most powerful bird of prey in the world, has its home in the Pakaraima and Kanuku Mountain Ranges.
It weighs 25 lbs, and stands over three feet tall. Its talons or claws are as thick as a child’s wrist.
Its name refers to the harpies of Ancient Greek mythology, which were wind spirits that took the dead to the underworld of Hades, and were said to have a body like an eagle and the face of a human.
The Harpy Eagles at the National Zoo are among the facility’s oldest occupants and are renowned for their longevity.
Two of them currently there have been resident since the opening of the zoo over sixty years ago and both are very much alive and in good health.
On completion of their aviary, the eagles will get much more space to move around and to even fly at the speeds for which they are remarkable.