THE Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment, with support from the Mexican Government, hosted a visiting zoo expert from Mexico from November 11 to 15, 2013.Facilitated by the Mexican Embassy in Guyana, and coordinated by the ministry’s Protected Areas Commission (PAC), the visit is the first step in a planned, long-term technical cooperation between the two countries.
The expert, Dr. Enrique Mendoza-Salazar, is the Deputy Director of the Mexico City Chapultepec Zoo, the largest zoo in Mexico. During his visit, Dr. Mendoza provided advice and training in the areas of animal nutrition, health and treatment regimes, education and awareness, enclosure design and cage enhancement.
Through this partnership, it is expected that personnel at the zoo in Georgetown will be equipped with new skills and techniques to better manage the facility and care for its animals.
By strengthening local capacity, this technical support will bolster the recently developed zoo master plan, which for the first time outlines a long-term vision for the modernisation of the Guyana Zoo.
The Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment’s PAC is continuously working with corporate and private sponsors to support the overhaul of a number of enclosures. The effort to improve the zoo is part of the larger Three Parks Initiative launched by Minister Persaud, which also aims to rehabilitate the National Park and Botanical Gardens. All parties interested in supporting this initiative are invited to contact the Protected Areas Commission Offices at the National Park, Thomas Lands.