Belize Zoo: A Tropical Haven For Wildlife

The Belize Zoo and Tropical Education Center is located 29 miles west of Belize City on the George Price Highway. The zoo was founded in 1983 by Sharon Matola, who started the zoo to care for 17 animals that were used in a documentary. The zoo is home to over 150 animals of about 48 species, all native to Belize. The Belize Zoo is the oldest wildlife rescue and rehabilitation facility in Belize and is the first nature destination in the country that is accessible to visitors with physical disabilities.

The Belize Zoo is located 29 miles from Belize City on the George Price Highway

The zoo was founded in 1983 by Sharon Matola, a Baltimore-born biologist, former circus performer, and former US Air Force survival instructor. Matola was hired to take care of 17 animals for a wildlife documentary titled "Selva Verde" (Spanish for Green Forest). When filming was complete, funds were exhausted, and there was a question of what to do with the now-tame animals. Matola started a makeshift zoo, using the animals' enclosures as exhibits to generate funding for their care.

The Belize Zoo soon shifted its focus to educating residents and visitors about the native wildlife of Belize. The zoo became a place of rehabilitation and rescue, with animals either donated, born at the zoo, or sent from another zoological facility. The zoo is home to a variety of mammals, including Belize's national animal, the Baird's tapir, and five wildcat species: jaguars, pumas, ocelots, margays, and jaguarundis. Other mammals include white-tailed deer, red brocket deer, collared peccaries, and black howler monkeys.

The zoo also features 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 Belize Zoo offers a unique, immersive experience, allowing visitors to encounter animals in their natural habitat and learn about conservation and wildlife rescue.

The zoo spans 29 acres of dense, natural vegetation

The Belize Zoo is located on 29 acres of dense, natural vegetation, set within a forest oasis of tropical savanna. The zoo's grounds are a natural environment, with gravel trails winding through the forest, allowing visitors to encounter animals in their natural habitat.

The zoo's focus on education and conservation means that it aims to keep the natural environment of Belize intact within its boundaries. This approach not only benefits the animals but also enhances the visitor experience, providing a unique and immersive journey through the wildlife of Belize.

The dense vegetation and natural setting of the zoo contribute to the overall experience, allowing visitors to feel as if they are exploring the jungles of Belize without actually being there. The natural habitat design of the enclosures and the free-roaming wildlife add to the authenticity of the experience.

The Belize Zoo is not just a collection of animals but a true representation of the country's natural heritage. The zoo's commitment to keeping the natural vegetation intact enhances the overall experience, providing a window into the wild and untouched beauty of Belize.

It was founded in 1983 by Sharon Matola

The Belize Zoo and Tropical Education Center is a zoo in Belize, located some 47 kilometres (29 miles) west of Belize City on the Western Highway. It was founded in 1983 by Sharon Matola, an American-born Belizean biologist, environmentalist, and zookeeper. Matola graduated from New College of Florida in 1981 with a degree in biology. After college, she became an assistant lion tamer at the Circus Hall of Fame before attending graduate school to study mycology. She left graduate school for a job as an exotic dancer in a traveling circus in Mexico, hoping to do biological fieldwork during the day before dancing at night.

Matola's job in Mexico brought her to the attention of filmmaker Richard Foster, who hired her in 1982 to care for 20 animals being used in the making of a wildlife documentary film. When shooting of the film was completed, she was left with the animals, by then habituated to humans and unsuited to release into the wild. On a whim, she decided to start the Belize Zoo, hung signs out on the road, and asked a nearby restaurant to coax patrons into visiting the zoo. With the blessing of the Government of Belize, which could not offer financial support, she began raising money from environmental groups to build and support the zoo.

Matola saw it as her mission to share the animals with Belizeans, who had no zoo in their country before Matola opened hers and, in many cases, had never seen wildlife up close. Schoolchildren began taking field trips to the zoo. Those unable to travel were treated to presentations by Matola, who zipped around the country on her motorcycle with a boa constrictor. She wrote children's books about a character named Hoodwink the Owl.

Over the years, Matola increasingly earned the trust and admiration of Belizeans, as well as the ire of some business leaders whose development projects she opposed in order to safeguard the rainforest. She also attracted the attention of environmental organizations such as the World Wildlife Fund, Conservation International, and the MacArthur Foundation, which contributed funding for what is now a sanctuary for nearly 190 animals, representing more than 45 species native to Belize.

Thanks to her work at the zoo, Matola became known as the "Jane Goodall of jaguars" and the "Jane Goodall of Belize." The zoo eventually was renamed the Belize Zoo and Tropical Education Center, reflecting its mission of teaching people about Belize's wildlife.

The zoo is home to over 150 animals of about 48 species, all native to Belize

The Belize Zoo is home to over 150 animals of about 48 species, all native to Belize. The zoo's animals are rescued, confiscated from the illegal wildlife trade, or transferred from other rehab and zoological facilities. The habitats designed for the animals reflect their natural settings, providing an immersive educational experience for visitors.

The zoo features a variety of mammals, including Belize's national animal, the Baird's tapir, and the five wildcat species found in the country: jaguars, pumas, ocelots, margays, and jaguarundis. Other mammals include white-tailed deer, red brocket deer, collared and white-lipped peccaries, Yucatan spider monkeys, black howler monkeys, Central American agoutis, lowland pacas, gray foxes, neotropical otters, coatis, kinkajous, and tayras.

The Belize Zoo also boasts an impressive collection of birds, with over 17 avian species in total. Visitors can observe scarlet macaws, red-lored and yellow-headed amazons, keel-billed toucans, jabirus, harpy eagles, king vultures, great black hawks, ornate hawk-eagles, barn owls, mottled owls, crested guans, and great curassows. The zoo's focus on education extends to its bird collection, with information about each species readily available.

Reptiles at the zoo include American crocodiles, Morelet's crocodiles, boa constrictors, fer-de-lance, green iguanas, and black spiny-tailed iguanas. The Belize Zoo supports snake education and empathy efforts by displaying some of the more common snakes of Belize, such as the imperial boa and tropical ratsnake. The zoo is also home to two species of crocodiles and a variety of freshwater turtles, including the critically endangered Hicatee.

The Belize Zoo offers a unique opportunity to connect with Belize's diverse wildlife, providing a natural habitat for its residents and an immersive educational experience for its visitors.

The zoo is wheelchair-accessible

The Belize Zoo is located 47 kilometres (29 miles) west of Belize City on the Western Highway, and is the first and only nature destination in Belize that is accessible to visitors with physical disabilities. All pathways are wheelchair-accessible, and the zoo also offers a limited number of wheelchairs for complementary use. An accessible bathroom facility is also available on site.

The zoo is home to more than 160 animals, representing 43 native species. It 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 filming was completed, she was left with these animals and decided to start a zoo.

The Belize Zoo is the oldest wildlife rescue and rehabilitation facility in Belize. The habitats designed for the animals reflect natural settings, and the dense, natural vegetation is separated only by gravel trails through the forest. The zoo is committed to the conservation of Belize's wildlife and its habitats, and to bringing visitors closer to the animals, which are their natural heritage.

The zoo is open Monday to Saturday from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm, and on Sundays from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. The last admission is at 4:00 pm on weekdays and 3:30 pm on Sundays. The zoo offers a variety of tours and experiences, including a night tour to see the activity of crepuscular and nocturnal animals.

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