UNDER the Three-Parks Initiative geared at enhancing biodiversity conservation in urban areas for the protection of Guyana’s ‘green spaces’, the long-anticipated petting zoo at the Zoological Park was declared officially open yesterday by Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment, Robert Persaud. Minister Persaud in the presence of visitors and staffers of Zoological Park yesterday declared the petting zoo open, noting that “What we seek to do with the zoological park is to create a family friendly environment, particularly for children, so that they can interact and understand more of the rich biological diversity our country possess.”

OVER $35M SPENT
“Under the Government of Guyana’s care we were able to benefit from an excess of $35M which was expended in the development of the petting zoo; this is Government’s gift to the children, as we seek to enhance the Zoological Park,” he said.
The Minister further stated that the intention through the petting zoo is to make visitors, in particular children, more comfortable, and also to give them a chance to interact with some of the animals, such as donkeys, horses, rabbits and so on which dwell right here in Guyana.
“This initiative is not only intended to educate the public, but also develop a level of awareness on how it is important for us to care, to respect and have an interest in our environment, in particular the flora and fauna,” said the Natural Resources Minister.
Recognising that this is a relatively new component for Guyana, Minister Persaud pointed out that during the construction of the petting zoo “there was a level of misunderstanding and uncertainty on what we meant when we spoke about a petting zoo.”
But he noted that gradually many persons who came to the zoo, have recognised that there was need for improvement and appreciated what was being done to have the petting zoo as a component of the Zoological Park.

PAST INCONVENIENCE
Apart from that, Minister Persaud also alluded to the fact that some of the facilities were more or less rundown, which made it very inconvenient for visitors and also staffers.

BIRD-WATCHING TRAILS
Emphasising that under the Three Parks Initiative there were some improvements to the Botanical Gardens facility, some of which included developments to the Kissing Bridge, Seven Ponds and also the enhancements of the bird watching trails, which the Minister disclosed is one of the garden’s main tourist attractions.

Meanwhile, Minister Persaud disclosed that they are appealing to citizens to support them in caring the Zoological Park. He called on citizens to safeguard the zoo because millions of dollars have been spent in maintaining and developing the Zoological Park.
Gratitude for the maintenance and development of the zoo not only goes to the Government, but also to some corporate persons and individuals who stepped forward and assisted, so that “we can ensure that the animals are housed in a safe, decent and visitor-friendly way.”

ZOO-TO-ZOO EXCHANGE
Moreover, he highlighted that just recently they concluded a zoo to zoo exchange programme “which will see us having new animals and species which can’t be found in Guyana or South America; emphasising that these animals are expected to come from as far as Africa and Asia.”
He added that the animal population at the zoo will increase in the coming months because the agreement in the zoo to zoo exchange programme was already signed.
This, Minister Persaud said, is another step towards enhancing the Zoological Park, and such efforts are expected to continue as long as they have the support of citizens.

(By Navendra Seoraj)