Latest update February 16th, 2025 7:47 AM
Feb 09, 2015 News
By Tiffany A. Hytmiah
The Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment, together with The Protected Areas Commission, yesterday launched Guyana’s very own Petting Zoo as part of the Three-Parks Initiative to refurbish, regenerate and enhance Guyana’s Zoological Park, The Botanical Gardens and The National Park.
The development of the Zoological Park, guided by a master plan, the outline of which sits at the entrance of the Zoo, has been in the making for over a year and yesterday, with the ceremonial cutting of the ribbon, officially became a reality.
While addressing the public, Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment, Robert Persaud explained that the idea behind the Petting Zoo was to create a different experience, since the animals are usually viewed from afar and no contact is allowed.
With the institution of the Petting Zoo, members of the public are now allowed to touch and feed the animals with food provided by the zoo’s staff, for the small sum of $100.
The Petting Zoo, which consists of donkeys, ponies, chickens, ducks, turtles and rabbits, all housed by newly erected barnyard -like structures, accompanied by an erection of stone and tile, which serves as a giant hand-washing sink, is said to have cost approximately $35M.
The Minister, in extending his gratitude to the Government of Guyana, The Beharry Group of Companies, and those individuals who have contributed financially toward the vision of the Three-Parks Initiative, specifically the Petting Zoo, also appealed to Corporate Guyana, to come on board and assist in the development and preservation of Guyana’s flora and fauna.
The launching of the Petting Zoo is just the beginning of greater things which are to come under the Three-Parks Initiative.
The Minister explained that a Zoo to Zoo exchange programme which allows Guyana to receive new animals from Africa and Asia is currently in the works. He said that in the coming months, the zoo’s population is expected to grow significantly.
Guyana’s Zoological Park is estimated to have approximately 10,000 visitors every month, and the Minister expects this number to increase after these new developments are completed. He extended an invitation to schools and other educational institutions to come out and enjoy what Guyana’s Zoological Park now has to offer.
The Commissioner of the Protected Areas Commission, Damian Fernandes explained to Kaieteur News that the main focus of this new initiative, with respect to the Zoological Park, is to teach Guyanese about their own animals.
Fernandes also made an appeal to Corporate Guyana. He explained that over 120 schools come into the zoo every year and this creates a unique opportunity to educate an entire generation. He believes that this is “a concrete way to develop Guyana, its children and its future”.
The Commissioner explained that the Commission is open to arrangements where they identify the sites they wish to develop, and interested companies hire their own contractors and pay them directly, provided that the design they have agreed upon is implemented as they want it.
According to Fernandes, the Petting Zoo itself has generated as much funds in one weekend, than the entrance fee for the Zoo. The zoo’s entrance fee is $200 for adults and $100 for children under the age of 12.
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