Dear Editor,
A happy New Year to you and your readers! I spent an amazing and peaceful Christmas and New Year in the tranquillity of the Rupununi, surrounded by rivers, mountains and savannahs. It was so enjoyable seeing and listening to the wild birds and animals in their natural habitat; they were as free as the strong winds that blew the just washed clothes off my clothesline. Howler monkeys and macaws kept me entertained with their unique sounds but the highlight of my trip was the time spent at Karanambu. I felt honoured to be able to walk and talk with the remarkable Diane McTurk.
One afternoon, and again the following morning, she invited us to walk with her and Tre down to the Rupununi River. Tre is a special guest who lives at Karanambu and gets very special accommodation, making some guests jealous. Tre has a comfortable bed, his own private swimming pool, and he gets two free meals every day. Diane and I and two young Amerindian boys stopped by Tre’s private cabin and Diane asked Tre if he wanted to go with us for an afternoon swim in the Rupununi River. Tre looked at the two boys with a fish pole and a bucket and quickly responded in the positive; his voice reminding me of a high-pitched robot computer in a sci-fi movie. Tre quickly took the lead on the trail to the river, running back and forth like a kid shouting – hurry up, hurry up. Tre was the first to reach the bank and quickly ran down the steep stairs to the river. He jumped in the water and quickly caught a fish. He stood up in the water and started bragging about his catch in a piercing voice. He must have said something very challenging because immediately he got a response from six wild otters swimming in the river about 100 meters downstream. They quickly formed themselves into attack mode and while articulating a shill reply swam directly towards Tre. We stood frozen not knowing what to do and then watched with our mouths agape as Diane and one of the Amerindian boys picked up oars from a boat and began slapping the water. Just as Tre began to retreat, the six wild otter came to a sudden stop and turned back down the river. When Tre saw the retreat he yelled out something which seemed to enrage the family unit which did an about-face and went back into attack mode; and this time they were much closer. We were getting nervous seeing the six open mouths and long white fangs. Once again Diane and the young men grabbed the oars, slapped the water and the six otters retreated, disappearing down the river. Without the help from Diane and her able assistants it is very likely the six wild otters would have killed the younger otter with the wounded leg being cured by Diane.
It was an enlightening experience being so close to Mother Nature and her children. It made me realize there is a lot of violence in Mother Nature’s family but somehow survival of the fittest in the animal kingdom seems more acceptable than man-made aggression against animals.
On January 2 we returned to life in the city and before even reaching Georgetown I was reminded of man’s mistreatment of animals. Along the East Bank Road, just before Gafoor’s, Land of Canaan, we passed a young man selling iguanas. Editor, it was a horrible sight: several pairs of iguanas hanging belly up with neck and feet tied to a stick; a little further on the same sight with more iguanas all tied up and dangling from a branch. These iguanas are tied up for long periods of time. If there are no laws preventing the sale of iguanas there must at least be some sort of regulation to protect them from inhumane treatment. This sight reminded me of a German tourist recently telling me she would never return to Guyana because of the way wildlife and domestic animals are mistreated.
I am therefore calling on the wildlife authority, the tourism authority and anyone else with authority to start enforcing laws or regulations intended to help put a stop to the inhumane way iguanas and other animals sold commercially are marketed.
Please will Minister Irfaan Ali, Minister of Tourism, use his good offices to put an end to animal suffering.
Yours faithfully,
Syeada Manbodh
