By Shaniya Harding and Tanacia Karim
(Interns with the Guyana Media and Communication Academy)
Many children dream of going to the zoo. Seeing a colourful assortment of birds, mammals and reptiles perched atop their stands or lounging in the depths of their cages. When asked to conjure imagery of a zoo they would seldom think of empty cages, small enclosures and deteriorating buildings. However, this was the unfortunate state of Guyana’s very own national zoo during a visit by this newspaper last week.
Attempts to elicit a comment from a supervisor at the zoo about its state was met with the response that she was not authorised to speak. She referred this newspaper to the Head of the National Parks Commission (NPC). Efforts at the NPC did not bear fruit.
Perhaps coincidentally, after this newspaper’s visit to the zoo, two notices appeared in the media for rehabilitation works in the zoo. One related to the renovation of the animal clinic and the other to the rehabilitation and extension of the jaguar enclosure.