• recreation 
• education 
• conservation 

Our Zoo also offers visitors to Guyana a glimpse of our local wildlife. The Guyana Zoo provides a good starting point for foreign wildlife enthusiasts; before heading into the country's interior, people are able to see some of the animals that they hope to spot in their natural habitats. Visitors to the zoo have the opportunity to see many of the spectacular South American birds as well as some of the intriguing mammals.

The zoo officially opened its doors to the public on 1st January, 1952. Even before the zoo opened, animals were already being housed on the zoo grounds. Manatees have been living in the botanical gardens ponds since 1890! (Of course, the ones currently living in the ponds are not the original manatees!; they are the offspring). Two of the harpy eagles are the other long-term residents of the zoo. These raptors are the very same eagles that came here in 1952!! Those are long living birds!

The Nature School became fully operational in 1992. It offers a wildlife education programme to students from local and outlying schools. The Nature School employs one schoolteacher who lectures on a different animal topic every term. Examples of topics taught in the past include the following: animal families, animal defences, incredible animal builders, jaguar, giant otter, harpy eagle, predators, turtles, snakes, manatees, bats, and the rain forest. Each class includes a nature film and a conservation message. Wildlife information is taught to groups from two different schools every day ... this amounts to about 1000 school kids per month!

It is affordable for schools to enjoy this educational field trip to the Guyana Zoo by using our beautiful air-conditioned 'Zoo Bus'. Children are transported to the zoo from as far away as 11/2 hours in any one direction. For more information on the new bus, go to the sponsorship section.

It's not only schoolchildren who can learn something about wildlife on a visit to the Guyana Zoo. Approximately 10,000 visitors wander through the Guyana Zoo gates every month of the year here in Georgetown. During weekends, education volunteers roam the zoo grounds interacting with the public and giving zoo talks and tours. Visitors can also purchase one of our colourful map\brochures to help tour through the zoo and the keep as a souvevir of thier zoo outing. Opening times are 07:30 - 17:30 hrs every day of the week. The entry fee is G$100 (G$40 for children under 12 years).

The Guyana Zoo currently employs approximately 24 staff. Staff members and their positions are listed below.

MANAGER Peter Khatoo
DEPUTY MANAGER Mahadeo Ramdass
ANIMAL HEALTH SUPERVISOR Lancelot Dowridge
ANIMAL SUPERVISOR Daniel Donald
MARKET SUPERVISOR Raymond Wong
STOCK/ACCOUNTS CLERK Indranie Mulchand
NATURE SCHOOL TEACHER Donald Gunraj
SCHOOL BUS DRIVER Ernest Tracey
STOREKEEPER Ralph Khan
COOK Hymwattie Persaud
MARKET ATTENDANT Fredrick Bakker 
TRUCK DRIVER Ounkar Persaud
CASHIER Orlene Flue Holder
ZOOKEEPERS Cecil Macey, Dick Squires, Ian Mackenzie, Donna Smith, Hymwattie Persaud, Jaimangal Ram, Lennox Hutson, Mahash Lukhman, Sylvia Smith, Winston Montrose
CONSULTING VETERINARIAN Dr. Nicholas Waldron

The Guyana Zoo has established working relationships with several North American zoos. Through these sister zoo partnerships we are able to gain assistance and access to resources all aimed at improving our zoo for your added enjoyment. Experts have come from the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., the San Diego Zoo in California, the Philadelphia Zoo in Pennsylvania, the Calgary Zoo in Calgary, Canada, and the Metro Zoo in Toronto, Canada.
For more information on how to assist us at the Guyana Zoo, please look at our sponsorship information page.