Dear Editor,
A few days ago a baby jaguar was shot in Eteringbang, and based on the news item, a security guard said that he was fearful for his life because the creature he saw was attacking dogs. Obviously, the predator was hunting for his meal; the security guard fired three shots at what he couldn’t identify, which turned out to be a protected species and luckily, not a human. It seems as if everyone brought his story, but I ain’t buying that. It just tells me how far we are at protecting our protected and non-protected species or how citizens could handle situations such as this.
Whilst this predator is the fiercest among the cat family, it is a carnivore and hunts in human habitats only when there is food scarcity in its natural domain. Editor, repeatedly I’ve complained of the hefty fees the local tour operators are charging for locals to visit anywhere in Guyana and have suggested that the government put a provision in place that locals could be able to access the same that is being offered to foreign tourists. That way, Guyanese would be able to appreciate and help protect our wildlife and historical sites, environment and establish a system where wildlife groups could be called upon to capture protected and non-protected species and release them into a safer environment. The jaguars are a protected species and should be left alone.
Sincerely,
Sahadeo Bates
