TBZ and Selby Gardens: A Great Partnership

From Sharon...

It is great for TBZ to solidify important relationships that empower our institution and add to the environmental and conservation profile of other organizations. Recently, I was able to visit Belize Zoo groundskeeper Charles Sho at Selby Gardens, Sarasota, Florida, where he was undertaking a horticultural internship. Charles is concentrating on bromiliads and bamboo

propagation and both will greatly benefit his work at The Belize Zoo. I also saw valuable plants, collected over ten years ago by Bruce Holst, in Little Quartz Ridge, Belize, thriving in Selby green houses. And I had valuable meetings with Selby Education Director and amphibian expert, Donna Krabill, about our collaborative efforts...and even had a lesson on how to play the harp!!! Pictures speak so much louder than words.....

"Alan Rabinowitz . . . meet Daqueen"

From Sharon....

Alan Rabinowitz, the scientist who came to Belize more than 20 years ago and changed the way the nation and our people view the jaguar, recently returned! His fieldwork in the 1980s, resulted in the establishment of the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary, which is well-known as the only protected area in the world specifically established to focus upon the preservation of the jaguar. Alan, author of four books, now heads up the organization, Panthera. Based in New York, Panthera puts its skills and energies towards big cat preservation. He was accompanied by his assistant, Nicole Williams, and they are working to establish strong linkages in Belize so that Panthera's work can go forward to benefit jaguar conservation. At The Belize Zoo, Alan and Nicole saw the problem jaguar rehabilitation and research center, had a "close encounter" with Junior Buddy, our charismatic "education jaguar", and met with our staff. Alan had never had the opportunity to share space with a Harpy Eagle, so we took advantage of this "gap" in his life and introduced the one and only Alan Rabinowitz, to the one and only Daqueen - our female Harpy.

Junior Buddy Has a Theme Song!

The big cats in the Jaguar Rehab program at the Belize Zoo each have their own song that Sharon sings to them help them get used to being around humans. Now, thanks to the SUNY Cortland Rock and Blues Ensemble, you can hear a rockin' version of the song she sings to Junior Buddy, the Belize Zoo's famous "Education Jaguar." To hear the song, just click on the following link: Junior Buddy is a Jaguar

The song features the following faculty and staff members of the ensemble: Steven Barnes on keyboard, Rick Harris on guitar, Colleen Kattau on vocals, Tom Pasquarello on harmonica, Mark Prus on bass, and Mark Taylor on drums. Keep checking the Belize Zoo blog for an upcoming music video of "Junior Buddy is a Jaguar."

Meet Junior Buddy!

From Sharon...

The Belize Zoo has been called "The Best Little Zoo in the World" and it is our mission to see that our visitors receive outstanding wildlife experiences when they come by. Starting in August 2009 zoo visitors will have the opportunity to get "up close and personal" with one of our most special animals - "Junior Buddy".

"Junior Buddy" was born at the zoo. His mother, "Springfield," entered our Jaguar Rehab program after being "arrested" for preying upon sheep. We had no idea she was pregnant when she arrived! Three months after she came to the zoo, "Springfield" gave birth to her cub, but being a mother was not on her agenda. After she rejected her son the Belize Zoo staff and I became "Junior Buddy's" mother!

Since he was raised by humans "Junior Buddy" can never be released back into the wild, so he has taken on the role of "spokes-jaguar." Being so people-friendly, he provides an important link, a bond, between our visitors and his endangered fellow jaguars. It is not rocket science. More then 17,000 Belizean schoolchildren visit the zoo each year. Once they experience the one and only "Junior Buddy" they become partners in our efforts to protect wild jaguars and their habitat in Belize.

If you visit TBZ you'll have the chance to participate in a "jaguar encounter" with "Junior Buddy." Petting this magnificent animal through our safety cage (see above) and having him prance on top of the cage over your head is an experience you will never forget, and it will reinforce the hope we all have that these beautiful animals will continue to be here for future generations!

Psycho Derek - The Anteater

From Sharon . . .

When the Belize Zoo receives wildlife that is suitable for release back into the wild, we step up to the plate and do our best to see that this can happen.

In the past, we have successfully releaed a jabiru stork, crocodiles, snakes, coatimundis, and kinkajous.

Recently, we were handed an adult anteater who was the sorry victim of a dog attack. His wounds were extensive, but his wild nature told us to work on the wound situation, and then send him back into the forest. We would, of course, be certain that his release would be far away from any village, no more dog attacks!!!

The video clip says it all. This fortunate fellow was released in a protected area not far from TBZ. We know that the lands where he was released, serve as a fine home to many species, anteaters included!

Baby Toucans!

From Sharon . . .

The area around the toucan exhibit will really come alive soon. Three aracari toucans arrived to the zoo in June.

Two, victims of field clearing during the relentless dry season, were nest orphans. TBZ staff raised the featherless babies and they are now thriving young aracaris.

Names? They earned their titles. One is named "Poopsalot" his buddy is "Gurji" (short for regurgitate).

The third happy aracari joined them recently, a pet who needed to be with his own kind. They all seem happy to be together and the aracari trio will soon be greeting visitors at the zoo.

TBZ Tapirs

From Sharon . . .

Everyone at TBZ is keeping their fingers crossed about our two tapirs, Ceibo and Navidad, living happily together and having a family.

Thanks to help from British Forces Belize and MoonRacer Farm in Cayo, we were able to extend the tapir area, providing the two endangered "Mountain Cows", their own private enclosure.

The Central American tapir is an endangered species and breeding them in captivity is high on our "wish list" of things to happen at the zoo.

They are gentle herbivores, and the Central American tapir is the National Animal of Belize.

images from a january 2007 visit

Matt and I accompanied Tom, his colleague Steve, and their students to Belize in January 2007. It was an amazing experience, particularly for then 7-year-old Matt. The following is an excerpt from my trip journal, and I am including a couple of photos I was able to snap in the rain.

We had about an hour at the zoo and we had the special opportunity to see the troubled jaguar area (ordinarily closed to the public). The zoo staff endeavors, with cooperation of the government of Belize, to save the endangered species when possible from being killed/poisoned when the jaguars, because of declining habitat, start going after domestic animals and are captured. The zoo rehabs the animals in three phases for socialization (Sharon plays guitar and sings to each jaguar nightly -- an unique song with each animal's name in it) and eventually the rehabilitated animals will be donated to approved zoos, usually in the U.S. Introducing rehabilitated wild jaguars to those in captivity facilitates breeding with needed genetic material, because too much inbreeding among jaguars in captivity negatively affects the gene pool.

We got to see "Wild Boy," phase 2, and Matt got to feed him some raw chicken with the help of a zoo staffer who carefully held his fingers in as you can see in the photo. Wild Boy was indeed wild! We also got to see "Field Master," phase 2. Wild Boy gives "paws up" high fives and both cats had been trained to roll over. [Paws Up became our group's rallying cry . . . going along well with the high fives that Steve and Tom occasionally gave the class members at the beginnings of events.] We also saw two females and then were off to explore the zoo on our own until 11:30. . . . I saw some beautiful endangered birds (couldn't get a good photo in the rain) [as well as a] Tapir from about 20 feet away . . .

Paws Up!

Also, for your enjoyment, is a little YouTube video taken by one of the students on the trip, entitled: Tapir Pee.

[Posted by Nan P.]

Home for the Harpies

Click on the title to read about the Home for the Harpies campaign on Bruce Barcott's website.

Pictured, at left, is Belize Zoo Director Sharon Matola, with Panama!

Welcome

Hi, my name is Tom Pasquarello, and I am a professor of political science who specializes in environmental policy. I first visited Belize more than a dozen years ago, and I immediately fell in love with this beautiful country that, as author Bruce Barcott wrote, is "firmly attached to Central America but considers itself a Caribbean island." Shortly thereafter, my friend and biologist colleague Steve Broyles and I started bringing our students at SUNY Cortland to Belize to study how environment and economy interact in developing nations. The Belize Zoo was usually on our itinerary when we visited, so I was delighted to learn that another colleague from biology Tim Baroni was bringing Sharon Matola, the zoo's founder and director, to our campus to speak. Sharon's talk brought the house down, and shortly thereafter several of us decided we wanted to help the zoo with its conservation and education programs in Belize. We founded SUNY Cortland's Belize Zoo Project to raise friends and funds for the zoo. That, in turn, got me invited to a Belize Zoo fundraiser that John and Nancy Kennedy held at their home in Milwaukee. During my visit John, Nancy, Sharon, Claudia Duenas (the zoo's business manager) and I decided that we would start this blog to help get the word out about about the important and exciting work being done at the zoo. We hope you like it. If you do, visit often and please tell your friends about us!

P.S. You may enlarge photos within posts by clicking on the images.