NEW attractions and facilities  will bring  a major upgrade  to the Guyana Zoological Park in the Botanical Gardens this year, and  the planned changes will add  elements of education and information delivery.

Commissioner of the Protected Areas Commission (PAC) Mr. Damian Fernandes, delivering a report on the zoo in 2012 and plans for 2013, said funds for the unrolling of this  “master plan”   have already been secured.
The National Parks Commission which manages the Zoological Park falls under the ambit of the PAC.
He disclosed  that some  of the changes which will take place will include a new zoning plan for the zoo, guided tours through selected cages, and the establishment of a petting zoo.  The  petting zoo  will comprise  completely domesticated animals for kids to play with, and there will also  be a  low-cost pony ride as an option.
The zoning plan,  Fernandes said,  has been prepared by a landscape architect based in the United States  and  it is  based on a simple principle-less cages; bigger cages.
He disclosed also that   there were  120,000 visitors to the  park  last year, two-thirds of them being children.
He   pointed out that the  zoo is the only area that affords Guyanese the opportunity to interact with the country’s biodiversity .
“It is  where we  on the coast connect with  the country’s interior and it is  a very important educational facility and the management is  committed to developing and upgrading the facilities on a  ‘step by step basis’,” Fernandes said.
Meanwhile, he noted  that the management has no intention of  raising ‘entrance fees’ but will be focusing on attracting repeat visitors through the restructuring  and the addition of new attractions and facilities.