Canoe.ca | Travel

Destination: BELIZE

The 'best little zoo in the world'

By A. P. RODRIGUES -- Special to Canoe Travel

A curious margay boldy prowls the fence of its habitat. -- Photo by <a href=

Phil Raby " />

A curious margay boldy prowls the fence of its habitat. -- Photo by Phil Raby

If you're in the mood for something funky,
then look up here at a spider monkey.
We spider monkeys were plenty in your nation
until yellow fever came and reduced our population.
So whatever you do, don't you forget,
we spider monkeys make very bad pets.

Those lines are part of a rhyme found on a hand-painted sign near the spider monkey compound in what's billed as the "best little zoo in the world," the Belize Zoo.

Established on 29 acres of tropical grasslands in Belize, the Central American country just south of Mexico, the zoo has earned its bragging rights for several reasons.

It's so small that families can easily explore it in less than two hours. There are resting spots and shady areas to take a break from the sometimes relentless Caribbean sun, and there are also hundreds of beautiful flowers bordering the zoo's gravel pathways.

But the real attraction are the 125 inhabitants, all native to Belize, residing in large enclosures which resemble natural habitats.

Spider monkeys are seen swinging freely among the trees and peccaries (wild pigs) have a grand time rolling about in the mud.

There are also margays, coatimundis, toucans, crocodiles and a large number of green iguanas that are part of the Iguana Captive Breeding program at the zoo.

The zoo's primary goal is to educate visitors, especially children, about preserving the Belizean environment, thereby ensuring the survival of species in the wild.

Its other undertaking is to provide a home, permanent or temporary, for orphaned, abandoned or sick creatures. That mission goes a long way in explaining the origins of the zoo, which arose out of a dire need.

In 1983, a group of wild animals used in a local documentary were abandoned once the production wrapped up. Sharon Matola, who had been hired to look after the animals during shooting, felt that returning the 17 semi-domesticated creatures to the rainforest would surely lead to their demise.

So, instead, she came up with the idea of finding a permanent home for them in a zoo. More than two decades later, what began as an act of kindness with few resources has grown into a powerful voice of nature conservation in Belize and around the world.

The philosophy of the best little zoo in the world is simple: bring people closer to these special animals so they recognize their importance and will want to protect them for future generations. Exemplifying the initiative, 10,000 school children visit every year to partake in the zoo's education program.

That same theme is also evident on the quirky signs with catchy limericks found all over the zoo. They not only entertain, but also educate about the effects of poaching, deforestation and destruction of habitat on Belizean wildlife.

As well, there are yearly events that bring in the crowds.

April the Tapir is a celebrated inhabitant of the Belize Zoo. -- Photo by Phil Raby

One such affair is the celebration of April's birthday. April is a very special tapir, or mountain cow, that is the resident starlet at the zoo.

In the spring, a huge bash is thrown at the facility to celebrate her birthday and thousands attend each year to watch this symbol of conservation munch on a special cake made out of horse chow and carrots.

Once on the verge of extinction in Belize, the tapir made a comeback in the wild. This is mostly due to the zoo's efforts and a program called the Tapir Specialist Group, dedicated to increasing the number of Belize's national animal in the wild.

The Belize Zoo is located 48 kilometres west of Belize City.

The best time to visit is morning or late afternoon when the animals are more active and the searing mid-day heat hasn't yet moved in.