Diane McTurk, the otter lady, left her imprint in the North Rupununi of Guyana where she managed a place called Karanambu Lodge. Karanambu was once a working cattle ranch and Balata collection station but is now an eco-tourist destination. It surrounds about 110-square miles of savannah, marshy ponds, riparian forest, and a 30-mile stretch of the Rupununi River. The lodge provides guests with the opportunity to experience the wildlife of Karanambu. Find out more about the amazing woman behind this exotic lodge.
Diane McTurk, the otter lady, left her imprint in the North Rupununi of Guyana where she managed a place called Karanambu Lodge. Karanambu was once a working cattle ranch and Balata collection station but is now an eco-tourist destination. It surrounds about 110-square miles of savannah, marshy ponds, riparian forest, and a thirty (30)mile stretch of the Rupununi River. The lodge provides guests with the opportunity to experience the wildlife of Karanambu. Find out more about the amazing woman behind this exotic lodge.
Diane McTurk’s Background
Diane was born on her father’s cattle ranch in 1932; she grew up at the time when the country was known as British Guiana. Her Father, Tiny McTurk, established Karanambu in 1927 as a Balata collecting station and he then went into the cattle industry. Afterwards, Diane was sent away for a proper education in London and she began to be involved with various careers both in London and Guyana. In 1966, Diane returned to Guyana when it became an Independent Nation. She then became the Press Officer for the Guyana Sugar Producers Association. In 1974, she moved back to England and worked as a Public Relations Officer for the Savoy Hotel. In 1977, Diane once again returned to Guyana to her roots at Karanambu to take the baton of conservation and lay the foundation of mindful tourism in the region. She opened the ranch in 1983 and she began something that would make history, she converted part of the property into a tourist destination. This brave move laid essential groundwork for the development of Guyana’s unique ecotourism sector and created what is now proudly known as Karanambu Lodge. In 1997, Diane, with the support of the McTurk family, established the Karanambu Trust as a private charity.
Diane McTurk | Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0) – https://live.staticflickr.com/5154/13946895466_8ff504d265_b.jpg
Diane McTurk’s Profession
Apart from ecotourism, Diane had a love for the giant river otters. She became the world-renowned expert on the giant river otter by raising over the years more than 50 otters who had been abandoned or injured. Her love for one special blind otter, Buddy, is legendary and has been extolled and covered by several filmmakers. According to Malcolm Peaker, “In 2006, Diane told them that the otters had been, and to some extent still were being, hunted, the orphaned young being left to die. The hand-reared otters became incredibly tame, following Diane or her helpers down to the river for a swim, a play with the children watching their mothers washing clothes and to fish. The otters got through enormous quantities of fish caught each day at the river. A call from Diane soon had them back to heel and they were led back to the lodge where they had a cozy box to sleep in.” Diane focused on sustainable projects for wildlife and habitat conservation, research and education in partnership with local communities.
Michael Mc Crystal Hamilton from Oakland, California stated that she first met Diane in 2008 when she found her on a shortwave radio in a grass-roof shack. Michael went on to say, “She was frantically arranging emergency air evacuation for a young vaquero that had been seriously injured out on the Rupununi Savannah…Once that routine emergency was summarily resolved, she gracefully breezed in to the lodge patio to greet her guests, pour passion-fruit rum cocktails, and introduce her current otters-in-residence…Auntie Diane leaves behind a legacy that everyone who has visited Guyana will appreciate. She was a compassionate conservationist, a graceful hostess, and a steely survivor in a frequently-inhospitable environment.”
The Impact Diane Had On Guyana
One of the special things about Diane was the relationship she had with these giant river otters in the Rupununi River. It was so admirable that she won the praise and notice of many including Gerald Durrell and Sir David Attenborough (Legendary Conservationist). Visitors were also amazed at how she would communicate with these sweet otters who live in the clear, black waters with rocky or sandy bottoms.
Tony Thorne, Managing Director of Wilderness Explorers said that Diane not only inspired him but the entire tourism industry in Guyana and the thousands of visitors that were privileged to stay with her at Karanambu. Tony Thorne went on to say, “Her work in rehabilitating orphaned giant river otters to the wild was grass-roots conservation that helped bring understanding to local people and at the same time provide unrivalled wildlife experiences for visitors. Diane’s old-style hospitality was legendary and she treated all guests as friends at her dining table.”
Awards & Achievements Of Diane McTurk
Through the years, Diane McTurk was bestowed countless awards, including a national Medal of Service and the Caribbean Excellence in Sustainable Tourism Award. She was also featured on the BBC, National Geographic, the Discovery Channel and German and Japanese television. She was seen as a pioneer of Guyana’s nature and community-based tourism and an inspiration to a generation across the globe in the area of conservation.
The Death Of Diane McTurk
Sadly, Diane McTurk passed away on the 10th December, 2016 (84 years old) at the St. Joseph Mercy Hospital. Stabroek News stated, “Relative Melanie McTurk said the woman died peacefully in her sleep at the hospital early in the morning. She described her as a happy woman who was well-loved by all those who knew her. In light of her passing, many persons took to social media to share memories and pay tribute the iconic Guyanese woman, well known as the ‘Otter Lady,’ while highlighting her work at the lodge and her vibrant spirit.”
Arrangements were made to have McTurk’s body returned to her home at Karanambu, where she was laid to rest beside her mother. Though passed, Diane will forever be remembered as a compassionate conservationist, a graceful hostess, and a steely survivor in a frequently-inhospitable environment. She laid essential groundwork for the development of Guyana’s unique ecotourism sector and created what is now proudly known as Karanambu Lodge. And, her work in rehabilitating orphaned giant river otters to the wild was grass-root conservation that helped bring understanding to the local people and at the same time provide unrivalled wildlife experiences for visitors.
Read our previous articles on Diane McTurk and Karanambu Lodge here:
- https://www.thingsguyana.com/meet-diane-mcturk/
- https://www.thingsguyana.com/karanambu-lodge/
- https://www.thingsguyana.com/10-top-reasons-why-you-need-to-visit-karanambu-lodge/
Article References:
- https://wilderness-explorers.com/guyana/diane-mcturk/
- https://wilderness-explorers.com/guyana/diane-mcturk/rememberances/
- https://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2016/12/11/the-otter-lady-rupununis-diane-mcturk-passes-away/
- https://www.guyanatourism.com/the-first-lady-of-conservation-in-guyana/
- https://www.stabroeknews.com/2016/12/11/news/guyana/tourism-conservation-pioneer-diane-mcturk-passes-away/
- https://zoologyweblog.blogspot.com/2018/05/diane-mcturk-1932-2016-otter-lady-of.html
