A pair of manatees was on Friday exported to Spain under an agreement that will provide funding for improvements to the aquarium to house the Arapaima exhibits at the Guyana Zoological Park.

The manatees were exported through the National Parks Commission (NPC) and they will be used to increase the population and improve the genetic stock of this species at the Faunia Zoo in Madrid, and at other zoos in Europe, a press release from the Government Information Agency (GINA) said. A similar agreement was finalised with the Odense Zoo in Denmark in 2001 as zoological parks around the world build partnerships to develop conservation and management programmes to curb the decline of several endangered plant and animal species.

The agreement provides for a collaborative conservation research and development programme by the NPC while the Faunia Zoo would fund the aquarium improvements and boost technical knowledge about the Arapaima exhibits.

GINA said manatees are listed under Appendix 1 of the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of wild flora and fauna as their populations in the wild in some countries have declined in recent years.