A tiny zoo.
Only 29 acres...with 125 animals native to Belize.
The zoo was established in 1983 after film crews collected an assortment of wildlife to film a documentary...then left...offering no suggestion what to do with the collection of animals on location.
What started as a "Backyard Zoo" with small cages is now known as The Belize Zoo and Tropical Education Center.
No tiny cages, now.
Just a maze of boardwalks and fenced in areas of the rain forest. Ponds and waterfalls and steams.
Beautiful natural habitat...and santuary.
The Zoo keeps animals which are orphaned, rescued, born at the zoo, rehabilitated animals, or sent to The Belize Zoo as donations from other zoos.
The zoo now receives 86,000 visitors annually and over 13,000 Belizean students.
The zoo is accessible to wheelchairs, throughout.
Tour
https://youtu.be/8pIyf7lDAyg
Another Tour
https://youtu.be/71shv0OHGdU
The Jaguar Encounter (where the people are in the cage...not the cat)
https://youtu.be/kteC1iJO9rE
Longer BEST tour
https://youtu.be/pc1qmE43-fc
And some images from The Belize Zoo
The Jaguar Encounter had to be my favorite...with humans inside a cage and the jaguars free outside.
https://www.belizezoo.org/
For information about the zoo...chances to adopt/sponsor an animal...or shop the gift shoppe!
I hope you've enjoyed this as much as I have, and soon we will head into the rain-forest and check out some of the Mayan Ruins!
Until then...
