Guyana to gift China with two jaguars on 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties

In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties, the government of Guyana has agreed to send two of its national animals, the jaguar, to the National Park Administration (NPA) of China.

This was revealed by Director-General of International Cooperation Xia Jun at a press briefing with foreign journalists at the NPA’s headquarters in Beijing, China on May 5, 2023.

The jaguar (File photo/Discover Guyana)

The administration is putting all safety and environmental mechanisms to make sure that the animals will be comfortable in their new home at a modern zoo.

Xia said that this will only be the start of what China hopes will be further collaboration with countries in wildlife conservation.

“We would be happy to further the cooperation on wildlife conservation, including the exchange of animals with other countries in the world,” he said.

The Commissioner of the Guyana Wildlife Conservation and Management Commission (GWCMC), Alona Sankar, confirmed the donation, saying that a male and a female jaguar will be sent.

Sankar added that the two jaguars are not new animals that will be captured specifically for the donation, but are from among those already in captivity.

“The female jaguar was in captivity since she was a cub. She was orphaned. [So], she knows nothing about fending for herself,” she explained.

This is why the GWCMC deems it absolutely important to make sure they are well taken care of and ensuring that all provisions are met before the transfer takes place.

The concept of donating these animals to China was an initiative of Mohamed Irfaan Ali, president of Guyana.

On May 3, a striking new Chinese pavilion symbolizing 50 years of bilateral relations between Guyana and China became the most recent addition to the Lamaha Street beautification project.

Chinese Ambassador to Guyana Guo Haiyan indicated that the construction of the pavilion was birthed from the desire to create a physical symbol of the two countries’ valuable friendship that can be publicly seen and preserved for a long time.

“This Chinese pavilion is representative of ancient traditional Chinese architecture and culture. A good pavilion can be the crowning touch of a whole garden, just like the mutual support to our friendship,” the Chinese ambassador pointed out.

Shaquawn Gill is a Producer at the Department of Public Information, the official information agency of the Government of Guyana.