Nearby residents being trained as Kaieteur tour guides

Some residents from around the Kaieteur National Park area have been engaged in a 9-day training programme to better equip them as Tour Guides or Park Wardens.

Germany’s Frankfurt Zoological Society (FZS) in Collaboration with the Protected Areas Commission through the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment, has been providing training to approximately 15 persons who reside around the Kaieteur National Park to become Tour Guides or Park Wardens.

According to Thadaigh Baggallay, a representative of FZS, the programme is supported by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and by the FZS. The residents are being trained by members of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) to read and operate compasses, Global Positioning Systems (GPS), maps and radio use. First Aid training will also be carried out.

He explained that the training is for current staff as well as potential new recruits and out of approximately 15 trainees at present, five will be employed.

“The remaining participants can use the newly acquired skills for applying for other jobs, and potentially being employed in Kaieteur in the future,” he said.