Jamaica Zoo desperate for donations

Jamaica Zoo's situation is getting increasingly dire as the attraction's proprietor, Paul Fearon, is desperate to secure funding to provide for the animals and keep the business afloat.

"It would be easier for me not to eat so I could feed them. If it was a situation that them to eat today and I am not to eat, me definitely will make them eat over me for sure. I am trying my best not to let it reach that," Fearon indicated. He laments that many persons have not donated to the fundraising campaign, forcing him to dip into his personal savings.

"I don't have a choice. We coming off a two-year COVID-19 break and just when things started to look up, then this incident surfaced. The same thing we do during the COVID-19 period, that's what we have to do, it's like we have to brainwash ourselves that it is another extension of the COVID-19 period. We do a little fundraising here and there or we ask people for their support and promise them that when we open back we refund them with a little percentage," Fearon shared.

The Lacovia, St Elizabeth-based zoo was ordered closed by the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) on June 1, after a video surfaced online showing a worker taunting a lion until his finger was bitten. Subsequently breaches of its permit were discovered. Fearon stressed that the animals are still being offered the best care and told THE STAR that NEPA visited the facility earlier this month to check if breaches were adhered to. He could not indicate when the zoo is expected to reopen. He said that potential customers are "angry".

"As bad as the incident might sound with the lion, it did good in a sense. It is amazing to see how many persons show interest in the zoo," he said.

And although the zoo has not been in operation for 48 days, Fearon believes the order to close could have been done differently, taking into consideration that the Jamaica Zoo is a product of the island. At the time of the closure, NEPA outlined some of the immediate steps that Jamaica Zoo is required to take, including the installation of satisfactory animal enclosures for the welfare of the animals and the submission of an animal nutrition and welfare programme. Additionally, NEPA indicated that the specific nature of the breaches relates to failure to, among other things, ensuring that members of staff handling animals are properly trained.

"Remember you know, it's just few months before [the incident] that I renewed my licence, so it couldn't be much that they requested from me. If there was something wrong during that period of time, they could have noticed me. What I think should've happened, if there are outstanding things, they show me what I need and then from there now, 'I'm giving you six weeks, five weeks, eight weeks' or whatever period of time to get it done or whatever the case may be," Fearon told the news team. In the meantime, he is urging Jamaicans to keep the Jamaica Zoo viable by donating.

"This is about wildlife, not just animals and plants. If you donate, you get the opportunity to come to the zoo and get that experience of relaxation and tranquillity," he said.

Persons seeking to donate can visit the official website of the Jamaica Zoo or contact the zoo at 876-435-9999.