a Central American zoo has received life-saving assistance in its efforts to survive the ravages of poverty and civil war.

Mr. Jonathon Birkin and Mr. Bob Bradford have just returned from Guatemala after off-loading a much-needed supply of basic tools and equipment for the Petencito Zoo in the north of the country.

"They were very pleased that we went there to help, and to receive the equipment we had collected. It's a very poor part of the country and they are in desperate need. It was a wonderful experience,'' he says of the "working'' trip which the volunteers paid for themselves.

The zoological mission of mercy began earlier this year, when the Aquarium became a member of North America's Zoo Conservation Outreach Group (ZCOG, pronounced `Zu-Cog'). As an enthusiastic volunteer who clocked up more than 750 hours of work in just one year at the Aquarium, Mr. Birkin was chosen to attend a zoo conference in Toronto. It was here that he first heard about the innovative scheme whereby established zoos in North America could lend a helping hand to their less fortunate neighbours in Central America.

With the Aquarium's blessing, Mr. Birkin and a group of volunteers spent the summer collecting suitable items. The Aquarium was happy to pass on goods superfluous to their needs and the general public responded well to appeals for practical help.

"The zoo needed basic things, which we tend to take for granted. We took stuff like shovels, spades, wire cutters, hammers, saws, a hand-drill (the zoo has no electricity), feeding buckets, stationery, zoo-related articles and textbooks on husbandry.'' Most important, perhaps, turned out to be the Spanish/English dictionary: "Essential, because no one speaks English down there. I knew about ten words of Spanish when I arrived, but it's amazing how fast you can learn when you have to! We filled in the rest with mime and drawing,'' he laughs.

With one of the last few remaining rain forests in the area, zoos are considered a vital teaching tool in Central and South America.

Explains Mr. Birkin, "If these forests are to be preserved, the chil dren have to be educated to appreciate their own environment and wildlife, and hopefully, protect them as they grow older. It's generally agreed that the best way to do this is through the zoos.'' Petencito Zoo (which means `hidden paradise') is situated "back of beyond'', in one of the most inaccessible areas of Guatemela. Its proximity to Santa Elena, one of the fastest-growing towns of the region, however, has increased its importance as a training tool for the many children.

The zoo, situated close by the ruins of the famous 2,000 year-old Mayan city of Tikal, in the largest (and poorest) province of Peten, stocks only wildlife that is indigenous to Guatemala. The fact that Petencito Zoo is home to crocodiles, jaguars, pumas, spider monkeys, white-tailed deer, agouris (large rodents), raccoons, Margays (similar to the small ocelot), boa-constrictors, the world's most poisonous snake (called the barba amarillo), and a host of exotic birds, gives a good idea of the perhaps surprising variety of Guatemala's wildlife.

"It takes about 16 hours to travel from Guatemala City to the town of Flores because the one and only road is so bad. But buses are always being attacked by bandits in the hills, so we were advised to fly there, and that took only 40 minutes,'' says Mr. Birkin. Noting that Guatemala is equivalent in size to the State of Ohio, he explains that the ancient town of Flores is situated on an island on Lake Petenitza -- which is the size of the whole of Bermuda.

"The zoo is on another island, 20 minutes by boat from Flores and linked to the mainland by a bridge which has since collapsed in heavy rains.'' One of Mr. Bradford's first tasks was to show the zoo workers how to re-build the fencing of the bridge. "He spent most of his time doing that. Then he and a couple of other guys found a baby boa-constrictor and a `cartell' snake, so Bob built a vivarium with a divide in it for them and I turned that into two exhibits. It may not sound like much,'' he adds, "but everything we did was difficult because we had to do everything from scratch. For example, it's hard to drill glass without glass cutters!'' Mr. Birkin says that one of the most pressing problems at the moment is the zoo's pregnant puma. There is nowhere to put the baby (or babies) when it is born. "The zoo is run by the University of Peten, which specialises in environmental studies. They have an unpaid vet -- one of the lecturers -- and he and I spent a lot of time discussing the zoo's most urgent needs and setting the foundations for future help.'' The zoo, which has no electricity, has to administer medicine and health-care routines without the assistance of a blow gun -- a handy item if you are attempting to sedate a jaguar or hungry crocodile.

On the whole, though, the Bermuda volunteers were impressed with the day-to-day basic care provided for the animals and birds. "The exhibits are imaginatively set up.

The people who run the zoo are very capable but their hands are tied through lack of money,'' explains Mr. Birkin.

His girlfriend, Miss Jennifer Murdoch, went along "just for the trip'' but ended up helping with the project: "Quite a few tourists who are visiting the ruins come to the zoo and we felt that the people who are running the zoo were not making the most of this. So Jennifer was giving them suggestions on how to make more money -- relatively simple things, such as selling tourists slices of the wonderful water melons and pineapples that are brought in for the animals, and we pointed out that one dollar admission for the tourists was totally unrealistic.'' The volunteers also worked closely with the zoo staff to improve diet planning and, most importantly, to set up a proper record-keeping system.

"That's why we took a filing cabinet, file cards, pens and pencils,'' explains Mr. Birkin. "You have to have accurate details on zoo animals, and what with the language barrier, it took us about three days to set up a workable system.'' Fortunately, notes Mr. Birkin, there are several non-profit organisations and environmental agencies already working in the area (part of the rain forest has been designated a biosphere by the UN). "Now we have arranged with CARE to oversee the programmes we have tried to set up, because one of the problems is that the zoo administration keeps changing.'' Voicing satisfaction that they were able to form the basis for what he hopes will be an ongoing programme of assistance for the threatened Petencito Zoo, Mr. Birkin says, "I want to thank everyone who helped us -- the Bermuda Zoological Society, director Richard Winchell, and James Conyers. They were instrumental in allowing me to set up the programme. James helped a lot with supplying equipment and was a great sounding board for some of my crazier ideas! I'd also like to thank Leon Stines and Ella Dickinson, and everyone else who donated things. It was very much appreciated. I don't think anyone who cares about animals and our natural environment could visit this valiant little zoo and not be deeply moved. It deserves our help and we are hoping that we will be able to do even more in the future.'' Anyone interested in helping with this project is asked to telephone Jonathon Birkin at the Aquarium, telephone 293-2727.

GETTING ACQUAINTED -- Mr. Jonathon Birkin with Churunella, a Margay cat, at Petencito Zoo in Guatemala. In the background is the Education Room built by CARE.

PETENCITO ZOO -- Situated on an island on Lake Petenitza, the Guatemalan zoo of Petencito is connected to the mainland by a wooden walkway.

MAYAN MAJESTY -- Petencita Zoo is surrounded by the ancient Mayan ruins of Tikal which spread over 25 square miles of the countryside.

MOTHER AND CHILD -- Petencito Zoo only stocks wildlife indigenous to Guatemala. Pictured in the zoo is a jaguar with her cub.

ANCIENT CRAFT -- A native Indian woman of Tikal, weaving the richly patterned fabric for which the area is famous.