Nature and animal life

February 28, 2018 — Belize

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Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary

This sanctuary has the reputation to be an excellent place for birds observation. As far as I am concerned, it was not a great success. Indeed, February marks the end of the rainy season in Belize, and the sanctuary was abnormally inundated at this time of the year. All the trails were blocked and even going around the lake was impossible...

The lake was abnormally high. Notice the park benches under the tree.

I have not been able to explore the area...

Community Baboon Sanctuary

The sanctuary has a strange name since they are no baboons in Belize. It's the name that Belizeans give to the black howler monkey, an endangered species that exists only in Belize, northern Guatemala, and southern Mexico.

The sanctuary, an initiative of the local community, has been an amazing success. The monkey population has greatly augmented in the area. More than 200 landowners in seven villages have accepted to cooperate in order to preserve the black howler monkeys habitat. A nice success story.

Black howler monkey's call. The sound level is very high, I can hear it even while driving the bike with a helmet covering my ears.

Belize Zoo

Most of the animals in the zoo are pets kept illegally by collectors. Life conditions in the zoo seem very good, and the animals have enough room to move around. It's a nice opportunity to see animals that are practically impossible to see in the wild.