About the Zoo
During a study abroad experience in Belize, Central America, my class was lucky enough to be lodging right across the street from the best little zoo in the world: The Belize Zoo. This meant that we were able to visit the zoo multiple times a week and work very closely with the zoo staff. We were able to assist with captive animal care, hold labs at the facility, and receive behind the scenes tours.
I believe that the Belize Zoo is unlike any other zoo in the world, and for the best reasons. Unlike many zoos that I have been to in the United States, the enclosures and habitats at the Belize Zoo are second to none.
The Belize Zoo (TBZ) resides deep within the forest of Belize and all of the exhibits are constructed within the forest adhering to the natural environment. This allows for all the animals to be enclosed in a space that is as natural to them as possible. All animals at the zoo are orphaned, rescued, rehabilitated, and non-releasable, born at the zoo, or sent to TBZ as donations from other institutions.
A noteworthy feature is that the animals kept at TBZ are all native to Belize which allows for visitors to familiarize themselves with the different species of wildlife they share the country with. TBZ also provides many Belizeans with jobs and promotes wildlife conservation through wildlife rehabilitation and environmental education.
Enrichment
In order to provide some alleviation from the stresses that come with life in captivity as a wild animal, zoos often use enrichment devices that encourage natural behaviors and increase physical and mental activity. My classmates and I had the opportunity to create an enrichment device for an animal of our choosing. My partner and I chose to tailor our enrichment project to the coatimundis at the zoo. Coatimundis are omnivorous mammals that have an excellent sense of smell.
Using this information, my partner and I stuffed cardboard boxes with lemongrass and fruits and insects. We cut circles into the sides of the cardboard boxes so that the coatimundis could stick their noses and hands into the box to smell the lemongrass and grab food. These critters are quite handy, so they were able to figure out how to open the boxes to reveal all of the stimulants placed inside.
Other partners chose to complete enrichment projects for different species of wild cats. Captive wild cats are known to pace as a behavior that indicates stress. However, once the enrichment tools were placed into the enclosure with the cats, the pacing stopped. TBZ provides their animals with some form of enrichment every day, highlighting the above and beyond care that is provided.
MEET SOME OF THE ANIMALS
Image by Haley Morrow
Bullethead is a Baird’s Tapir which is the national animal of Belize. Bullethead was rescued by TBZ after suffering multiple gunshots to the head – hence his name. This animal is nicknamed the “mountain cow” in Belize. They reside in the forest and are mostly active at night snacking on various vegetation and fruits. The Baird’s Tapir is endangered throughout their range of Southern Mexico to Northern Columbia. Hunting and deforestation serve as the main two threats to this species.
Bullethead is now in semi-retirement and enjoys the serenity of his enclosure whilst always receiving deliveries of food and chin scratches. As he is very docile, Bullethead serves as an education animal at TBZ and he even let me and my classmates perform a physical exam on him without any fuss.
Image by Haley Morrow
Rocky the Jaguar is well trained and serves as an ambassador animal at TBZ for their Problem Jaguar Rehabilitation program. This program was created by TBZ in collaboration with the Government of Belize and the US Fish and Wildlife Service to lower the number of jaguar killings as a result of human-wildlife conflict. Increased hunting of jaguar prey species and loss of habitat pushes jaguars into communities in search of food and habitat.
As an alternative survival strategy, the jaguars begin to prey on livestock and domesticated animals which usually leads to retaliatory killings or injuries by farmers and ranchers in an attempt to protect their livelihoods.
With the Problem Jaguar Rehabilitation program in place, TBZ is able to bring in injured jaguars such as Rocky, give them the necessary medical attention, and then rehabilitate them to become an ambassador animal and to educate the public on the domino effect of jaguar-human conflict. While hunting and deforestation have reduced jaguar numbers and reduced jaguar range, Belize has one of the healthiest jaguar populations in Central America.
Image by Haley Morrow
Charlie the Scarlet Macaw is possibly the most vocal resident at TBZ. Macaws can be as loud as a fire truck siren. Charlie lives in the same enclosure as his dad and they often would exchange bird words with each other in between speaking to visitors. The Scarlet Macaw ranges from Eastern Mexico to Brazil and can reach flying speeds of up to 35 miles per hour.
Victim of the pet trade, Scarlet Macaw numbers are dropping. In fact, in 1989 there was a reported Belizean population of just 24 total birds. However, TBZ and other sanctuaries are doing everything in their power to educate and restore the Scarlet Macaw population.
Image by Haley Morrow
Brutus is an American crocodile that enjoys basking in the beaming Belize sun in front of guests. Two species of crocodiles reside in Belize: the American crocodile and the Morelet’s crocodile. The American crocodile is the larger of these two species. I learned that crocodiles have existed since the time of dinosaurs and that American crocodiles in particular have one of the strongest immune systems. Crocodiles are apex predators which means that they are at the top of the food chain without any natural predators.
Despite their strength and resilience, the eggs and hatchlings of crocodiles are still vulnerable to predation. Crocodiles are also vulnerable to anthropogenic effects such as hunting and habitat loss. These three factors lead to a devastating population declines in the mid-1900s. However, the passing of the Wildlife Act coupled with educational advocacy has put the crocodile population on a steady incline in Belize.
