The biggest little zoo in the world - Belize Zoo and Tropical Education Center in Belize, Central America - Cover Story

Ranger Rick, Jan, 1997 by Pete Carmichael

Hey, mon! Welcome to Belize (Buh-LEEZ). Belize is one of the smallest countries in the world, but it has lots of big-hearted people--and a very spe- cial zoo.

Belize is a land of tropical rainforests, misty mountains, amazing coral reefs, and many rare birds, mammals, and plants. People who love nature come from all over the world to see the country's beauty.

Like other Central American countries, Belize has lost a lot of its rain- forests. People have cut down many trees for lumber. They've also cleared much of the land for raising crops and cattle. Luckily, there is still plenty of forest in Belize for wildlife. But, like everywhere, people must be ready to save what's left.

Many people who live in Belize are learning to love and protect the country's plants and animals. And one of the main ways they're learning is by visiting the Belize Zoo!

A SAD BEGINNING

The zoo had a sad start in 1983. A nature movie was being made in Belize that year, and some of the "stars" were tame animals kept in wire pens. After the moviemakers went home, the animals were left with the woman who had been their keeper, Sharon Matola.

Sharon knew that she couldn't let the animals go free. Most had always lived in captivity and would never make it on their own in the wild. But to keep them, she would need money for food. She also had a dream of creating a zoo out of her little collection of pens.

To get the money she needed, Sharon traveled all over Belize and to the United States, asking people for donations. She told them that those who visited such a zoo could learn all about the wonderful wildlife of the country.

Thanks to many generous people and to the hard work of Sharon and her helpers, the dream came true. In 1991, the new Belize Zoo and Tropical Education Center finally opened to visitors.

A DIFFERENT KIND OF PLACE

At the Belize Zoo you won't see tigers or elephants or pandas. The only animals there are ones that live naturally in Belize. But what an exciting place it is!

The zoo now holds more than 120 native animals in 35 different exhibits. Wild animals are never captured for the zoo. Instead, people donate their unwanted pets, and other zoos send animals they no longer need. And, of course, some animals there have babies.

The places where the animals live, called enclosures, are very large. This means the animals have plenty of space to roam, rest, and play. Trees, shrubs, and other plants are left to grow in these areas so the animals can feel at home.

Even outside the enclosures, trees and plants are allowed to grow wild. Visitors say this makes them feel as if they're also part of the forest.

Just outside each animal enclosure is a hand-painted wooden sign. Each sign tells a friendly story about the animal inside--what the animal is called by the people of Belize, where it likes to live, and whether it's endangered and needs to be protected.

BOARD GAMES AND BIRTHDAY PARTIES

Along the trails between the enclosures are board games to play. In one game, for example, you have to match an animal with its habitat (the place where it lives in the wild). The games help kids understand more about Belize's animals and what they need to survive.

Even more fun than the games is a special birthday party that happens every April. This party isn't for Sharon, her helpers, or any of the visitors. Instead, it's for April the Mountain Cow. "Mountain cow" is what the people of Belize call a tapir (TAY-pur)--a large rainforest animal related to horses and rhinos.

April has lived in the zoo since she was a baby. Every year, the zoo invites kids to celebrate her birthday. They come from all over the country with gifts of bananas and carrots, and Sharon bakes a huge cake. So many people have come to see April that she is now famous all around the world.

ZOO TO THE RESCUE

Has the zoo really helped people care about wild places and wildlife in Bel- ize? You bet!

Every year, thousands of people come from all over the world to see the zoo. These people usually love wildlife and want to see as much of it as they can. So some landowners in Belize have built small lodges on their land, right in the middle of the jungle. Visitors pay the landowners lots of money to come to these lodges, knowing they'll see and hear wild creatures of the rainforest. The landowners have learned that the forest is not only good for wild- life--it's also good for them. Now, the landowners aren't as likely to cut down trees for lumber or to clear the land for farming.

LEARNING TO PRESERVE

Partly because of the zoo, more and more people in Belize have learned that wildlife is important. That means more wild places are being set aside as preserves. For example, farmers have given land to make a large preserve for endangered howler monkeys. There is also a preserve for manatees and another for jaguars, the largest wild cats in the Americas.

Not many years ago, people in Belize shot jaguars for sport. But how things have changed! Belize is now the only country that has a wild jaguar preserve. This preserve is a large area of rainforest where these big cats can roam in safety. It is famous for having more jaguars than any other place on Earth.