April 15, 2008
ON THE ROAD IN BELIZE: They Call It 'The Best Little Zoo in the World' and It May Be All That
By David M. Kinchen
Huntingtonnews.net Editor
Belize, Central America (HNN) -- I'm not a big fan of zoos, the traditional kind, at least, but I'll make an exception for The Belize Zoo.
Begun in 1983 as what the zoo's web site (http://www.belizezoo.org/index.html) calls a "last ditch effort to provide a home for a collection of wild animals which had been used in making documentary films about tropic forests," the zoo has built a reputation as a tourist attraction and educational site in the savannas of Belize.
From those humble beginnings, the 29-acre Belize Zoo and Tropical Education Center -- its full name -- is the best single place in this New Jersey-sized Central American country to learn about the wide variety of wildlife native to Belize.
It's an easy trip from Belize City, near Mile 30 on the Western Highway, the road to the capital city of Belmopan and San Ignacio and -- eventually the Guatemalan border. My main interest in this visit was to see a jaguar and I managed to get a close look at a traditional cat with the distinctive rosettes and a less common black or melanistic jaguar. I didn't get close enough to the latter, but a close examination will reveal rosettes in black jaguars. They're just difficult to see.
"Junior" is the name of the year-old male and what a handsome cat he is, as anyone can tell from my photos. He was rejected at birth by his mother, which doesn't seem fair, but it's obvious that he's a favorite attraction. The black jaguar, according to the keeper I talked to, wasn't feeling very well. I hope the older cat gets better, in this land which has the world's largest jaguar preserve in the Cockscomb area.
The jaguar is the third-largest feline after the tiger and the lion, and on average the largest and most powerful feline in the Western Hemisphere. It's bigger than the puma (alsp called the mountain lion or cougar), which I also saw at the zoo. While jaguars are occasionally sighted in the southwestern U.S, the cat's present range extends from Mexico, across much of Central America and south to Paraguay and northern Argentina.
The Belize Zoo and Tropical Education Center is not only a popular tourist attraction, it's an integral part of the country's educational system: It's visited by more than over 15,000 schoolchildren every year as part of the progressive education programs, and popular zoo events include: April the Tapir's birthday party; summer camps; Science Fair; Teacher Training; and Student Career Training.
Yes, I also saw April the Tapir -- the country's national animal. Tapirs are large browsing mammals, which look like a pig, with a short prehensile snout. They may look like pigs on steroids, but they're closely related to horses and rhinoceroses. April and her buddies are Baird's tapirs, one of four varieties in the world. All four are endangered species.
So, if you're in Belize to see Mayan ruins or go snorkeling or fishing near the largest barrier reef in the Western Hemisphere, take a day and visit the Belize zoo. As I was driving out of the zoo, I stopped to take a picture of the entrance sign. An obviously American couple got off at the bus stop at the zoo and we chatted for a minute. They're from Arcata, CA, near Eureka and have been backpacking in the Yucatan and Belize for the past month and a half.
After visiting the zoo for the first time -- it won't be the last -- I continued west on the Western Highway to about 12 miles east of San Ignacio. I saw several Mennonite Belizeans, distinctive with their horse-drawn wagons, straw hats and beards for males and traditional dress for both men and women. Belize provided a sanctuary for Mennonites from Mexico and Canada, beginning in the 1950s and they're among the best farmers in the country.
Speaking of farming, take advantage of the numerous fruit and vegetable roadside stands in your travels. The prices are right for mangoes, melons, citrus, papayas and vegetables of all kinds.
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By David M. Kinchen
Huntingtonnews.net Editor
Belize, Central America (HNN) -- I'm not a big fan of zoos, the traditional kind, at least, but I'll make an exception for The Belize Zoo.
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From those humble beginnings, the 29-acre Belize Zoo and Tropical Education Center -- its full name -- is the best single place in this New Jersey-sized Central American country to learn about the wide variety of wildlife native to Belize.
It's an easy trip from Belize City, near Mile 30 on the Western Highway, the road to the capital city of Belmopan and San Ignacio and -- eventually the Guatemalan border. My main interest in this visit was to see a jaguar and I managed to get a close look at a traditional cat with the distinctive rosettes and a less common black or melanistic jaguar. I didn't get close enough to the latter, but a close examination will reveal rosettes in black jaguars. They're just difficult to see.
"Junior" is the name of the year-old male and what a handsome cat he is, as anyone can tell from my photos. He was rejected at birth by his mother, which doesn't seem fair, but it's obvious that he's a favorite attraction. The black jaguar, according to the keeper I talked to, wasn't feeling very well. I hope the older cat gets better, in this land which has the world's largest jaguar preserve in the Cockscomb area.
The jaguar is the third-largest feline after the tiger and the lion, and on average the largest and most powerful feline in the Western Hemisphere. It's bigger than the puma (alsp called the mountain lion or cougar), which I also saw at the zoo. While jaguars are occasionally sighted in the southwestern U.S, the cat's present range extends from Mexico, across much of Central America and south to Paraguay and northern Argentina.
The Belize Zoo and Tropical Education Center is not only a popular tourist attraction, it's an integral part of the country's educational system: It's visited by more than over 15,000 schoolchildren every year as part of the progressive education programs, and popular zoo events include: April the Tapir's birthday party; summer camps; Science Fair; Teacher Training; and Student Career Training.
Yes, I also saw April the Tapir -- the country's national animal. Tapirs are large browsing mammals, which look like a pig, with a short prehensile snout. They may look like pigs on steroids, but they're closely related to horses and rhinoceroses. April and her buddies are Baird's tapirs, one of four varieties in the world. All four are endangered species.
So, if you're in Belize to see Mayan ruins or go snorkeling or fishing near the largest barrier reef in the Western Hemisphere, take a day and visit the Belize zoo. As I was driving out of the zoo, I stopped to take a picture of the entrance sign. An obviously American couple got off at the bus stop at the zoo and we chatted for a minute. They're from Arcata, CA, near Eureka and have been backpacking in the Yucatan and Belize for the past month and a half.
After visiting the zoo for the first time -- it won't be the last -- I continued west on the Western Highway to about 12 miles east of San Ignacio. I saw several Mennonite Belizeans, distinctive with their horse-drawn wagons, straw hats and beards for males and traditional dress for both men and women. Belize provided a sanctuary for Mennonites from Mexico and Canada, beginning in the 1950s and they're among the best farmers in the country.
Speaking of farming, take advantage of the numerous fruit and vegetable roadside stands in your travels. The prices are right for mangoes, melons, citrus, papayas and vegetables of all kinds.
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