Belize Zoo: A Compact Wildlife Sanctuary

The Belize Zoo and Tropical Education Center is a 29-acre zoo located 29 miles west of Belize City. The zoo was founded in 1983 by Sharon Matola, who was caring for a handful of wild animals that had been part of a natural history documentary. Today, the zoo is home to over 150 animals of about 45 species, all native to Belize. The zoo's focus is on educating residents and visitors about the native wildlife of Belize and promoting conservation and rehabilitation. The zoo has become a world-renowned wildlife education center, with over 43,000 visitors annually and is accessible to people with physical disabilities.

The zoo is 29 to 30 acres in size

The Belize Zoo is 29 to 30 acres in size. It is located 47 kilometres (29 miles) west of Belize City on the Western Highway, or George Price Highway, and is set in a forest oasis within the tropical savanna. The zoo was founded in 1983 by Sharon Matola, who had been caring for a handful of wild animals that had been part of a natural history documentary. When the filming was completed, Matola was left with these animals and decided to start a zoo.

The zoo is home to more than 150 animals of about 45 to 48 species, all native to Belize. The zoo's focus is on educating residents and visitors about the native wildlife of Belize, with the aim of instilling appreciation and pride and encouraging conservation of Belize's natural resources. The zoo is unique in that it is set in a natural environment, with dense, natural vegetation separated only by gravel trails through the forest.

The Belize Zoo is the oldest wildlife rescue and rehabilitation facility in Belize. The habitats designed for the animals reflect natural settings, providing an immersive educational experience for visitors. The zoo is also accessible to persons with physical disabilities, with wheelchair access throughout the zoo.

The zoo is home to a variety of mammals, birds, and reptiles, including Belize's national animal, the Baird's tapir, jaguars, spider monkeys, keel-billed toucans, and scarlet macaws. Visitors can also sign up for a nocturnal tour of the zoo to see the crepuscular and nocturnal animals, such as tapirs, jaguars, and howler monkeys, in a whole new light.

It is home to 43-48 species

The Belize Zoo is home to over 150 animals, representing 43 to 48 species native to Belize. The zoo's focus is on educating visitors about the wildlife of Belize, with the aim of fostering appreciation, pride, and a desire to protect and conserve the country's natural resources.

The zoo is unique in that it only houses native animals, and no zoo animal has ever been taken from the wild. The residents of the zoo were once people's pets, donated, injured and brought in for rehabilitation, born at the zoo, or sent from another zoological facility. This includes the five wildcat species found in Belize: jaguars, pumas, ocelots, margays, and jaguarundis. Other mammals include white-tailed deer, red brocket deer, collared peccaries, Yucatan spider monkeys, black howler monkeys, and neotropical otters, to name a few.

The Belize Zoo also features a variety of birds, such as several species of parrots, owls, and raptors, as well as a wetland aviary. Reptiles at the zoo include American crocodiles, boa constrictors, and green iguanas.

The zoo offers a traditional daytime tour, as well as night tours, allowing visitors to observe the activity of crepuscular and nocturnal animals. The night tour includes animals such as tapirs, jaguars, margays, kinkajous, crocodiles, peccaries, and howler monkeys.

The Belize Zoo is not just a place to see animals but also a centre for wildlife rescue and rehabilitation. It is the oldest such facility in Belize and is committed to conservation and education. The habitats designed for the animals reflect natural settings, providing an immersive educational experience for visitors.

There are over 150 animals

The Belize Zoo is home to over 150 animals, with some sources claiming there are over 160 or even 175. These animals represent around 45 species, all native to Belize. The zoo's 29 acres of forest oasis within tropical savanna are accessible by wheelchair.

The zoo was founded in 1983 by Sharon Matola, who was caring for a handful of wild animals that had been used in a documentary. When filming was completed, Matola was left with these animals and decided to start a zoo. The zoo is a non-profit organisation and the oldest wildlife rescue and rehabilitation facility in Belize. The habitats designed for the animals reflect natural settings, and the zoo is committed to the conservation of Belize's wildlife and its habitats.

The animals at the zoo are rescued, confiscated from the illegal wildlife trade, or transferred from other rehab and zoological facilities. They include mammals such as wildcats (jaguar, puma, ocelot, jaguarundi, and margay), monkeys, tapirs, deer, peccaries, otters, and coatis, as well as birds like parrots, owls, raptors, and scarlet macaws. The zoo also has a wetland aviary and reptiles such as crocodiles, boa constrictors, and iguanas.

The Belize Zoo offers a unique experience, allowing visitors to connect with Belize's natural heritage and wildlife. It provides an immersive educational experience, with gravel trails winding through dense, natural vegetation. Visitors can also sign up for a nocturnal tour of the zoo to observe the activity of crepuscular and nocturnal animals, such as tapirs, jaguars, margays, and howler monkeys.

The zoo was founded in 1983

The Belize Zoo and Tropical Education Center (TBZTEC) is a non-profit zoo founded in 1983 by Sharon Matola. Matola, an American-born biologist, environmentalist, and zookeeper, had been working as an assistant and animal caretaker for a film crew shooting a documentary in Belize titled "Selva Verde" (Spanish for Green Forest). When the filming ended, Matola was left with a handful of wild animals, including an ocelot, a puma, a jaguar, and several exotic birds. These animals had become habituated to humans and were unsuitable for release back into the wild.

Matola decided to start a zoo to care for these animals and began by using their enclosures as exhibits to generate funding for their upkeep. She hung signs on the road, asked a nearby restaurant to encourage patrons to visit, and soon welcomed the first visitors to what she called a "backyard zoo". Matola quickly realised that Belizeans were largely unfamiliar with the native wildlife of their country and had many misconceptions and superstitions about them. This prompted her to shift the focus of the zoo to educating residents and visitors about Belize's native wildlife.

Over time, with local support and donations from both local and foreign sources, the zoo expanded. In 1991, it relocated to its current site, a 29-acre plot of land, 47 kilometres west of Belize City on the Western Highway. The zoo is set within the natural environment of Belize, with dense vegetation and gravel trails winding through the forest. The zoo is home to more than 160 animals, representing over 40 native species, all of which have been rescued, donated, rehabilitated, born at the zoo, or transferred from other facilities.

It is a non-profit organisation

The Belize Zoo and Tropical Education Center (TBZTEC) is a non-profit organisation founded by Sharon Matola in 1983. Matola was caring for a handful of wild animals that had been part of a natural history documentary. When the filming was completed, she was left with these animals and decided to start a zoo. The zoo is located on 12 hectares (29 acres) of land, about 47 kilometres (29 miles) west of Belize City on the Western Highway.

The Belize Zoo is the oldest wildlife rescue and rehabilitation facility in Belize. The habitats designed for the animals reflect their natural settings, and the zoo provides an immersive educational experience for visitors. The zoo cares for more than 160 animals, representing 43 native species, and employs over 45 Belizeans. More than 43,000 people visit the zoo annually.

The zoo is committed to the conservation of Belize's wildlife and its habitats through the establishment of a well-maintained zoological facility and education centre. The zoo promotes environmental awareness among the people of Belize and its visitors from abroad. The zoo receives no financial support from the Government of Belize and generates funding through admission fees, tours, donations, and adoption and membership programs.

The Belize Zoo is unique in that it houses only native animals. No zoo animal has ever been taken from the wild. The residents were once pets, donated to the zoo, rescued and brought in for rehabilitation, born at the zoo, or sent from another zoological facility. The zoo is also the first nature destination in Belize that is accessible to persons with physical disabilities.

The Belize Zoo offers a variety of experiences for its visitors, including day and nocturnal tours, animal encounters, and a lodge with accommodations and meals. The zoo also runs a 'problem jaguar' rehabilitation program aimed at educating local people about jaguars and reducing conflicts between farmers and jaguars that prey on livestock.

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