Wild animals caught alive can be accommodated at Zoological Park – Minister Persaud

By Samuel Sukhnandan –

Natural Resources and Environment Minister Robert Persaud said because of Guyana’s vast terrain, large cats and other animals can indeed pose a threat to citizens. Persaud’s comments come in light of concerns raised by citizens of North Ruimveldt, Georgetown where a jaguar has been roaming.
Persaud told Guyana Times International on Tuesday that people are usually encouraged to capture these animals, once they pose a threat to a community.

When this newspaper contacted the National Parks Commission (NPC) to report the incident in North Ruimveldt on Tuesday, an official confirmed that there is no mechanism in place to deal with such situations, but volunteered to assist.
A senior NPC official said in such cases, the Wildlife Department is usually called in to assist, although this is not one of its responsibilities.
An official of the Wildlife Department later confirmed this to be true, but stated that at some point, a unit must be set up to deal with such matters, given the frequents reports of wild animals causing damage and posing a threat to many villages.
Do not kill animals
Minister Persaud said while citizens are encouraged to trap these animals, they are also warned not to kill them. According to him, once the animal is caught alive, it can be accommodated at the Zoological Park. Persaud said persons should not, however, allow themselves to be attacked or their property damaged.
“As a former minister of agriculture, I would recall that farmers themselves complaining about losing large numbers of livestock, be it sheep, goat and even cows. So we are aware of it and certainly, we try to encourage people to do trapping and work with the Zoological Park,” the minister added.
Persaud told this publication that Guyana has started a relationship with an overseas non-governmental organisation to develop a strategy to protect jaguars, working with people in the mining, forestry and agriculture sectors. This is to prevent the animal from becoming an endangered species.
“But it’s one thing for us to sit and theorise… and people out there would tell you that camps were attacked, they saw traces of a jaguar or some other animal and that puts them at danger… but we try to work and give advice and certainly, we have a country, where 88 per cent of our land space is covered with tropical rainforest,” Persaud acknowledged.
The jaguar in North Ruimveldt was spotted this weekend at the back of the area; residents are fearful of using the backdam that links that community to Sophia. One resident, Collin Daniels said between Saturday and Sunday, he spotted the animal while using the backdam and he informed his neighbours about it.
“They got a lot of little children that use the dam, but presently because school close it ain’t that busy…. but you never know if by the time school re-opens, if the animal will attack someone… but we have to be sceptical at least at nights,” Daniels said.
He estimates that the jaguar is about three feet in length and two and a half feet in height. This is not the first time that the animal was spotted by residents.