Internships at the Belize Zoo

Internship opportunities abound at the Belize Zoo. Puja Kalaria, from Great Britian, is interning at the zoo as part of the Personal Overseas Development Program (for more information about Personal Overseas Development visit their website at www.thepodsite.co.uk). These photos of Puja feeding the zoo's magnificent Harpy Eagle Daqueen, and getting a high five from "Spokesjaguar" Junior Buddy show the kind of experiences that await Belize Zoo interns. For more information about the Belize Zoo's internship program check out the zoo's website. The State University of New York (SUNY) awards college credit for zoo internships as part of SUNY Cortland's Belize Development Internship Program. For more information about SUNY Cortland's Belize Development Internship Program send an e-mail to thomas.pasquarello@cortland.edu.

Today Show visits the Belize Zoo

from Cortland the Margay....

We had a lot of excitement at the zoo recently when Kerry Sanders from NBC's Today Show paid a visit! He talked with Sharon about Tapirs (the national animal of Belize) and King Vultures, and got up close and personal with a playful Kotamundi. He even got a kiss from my buddy Junior Buddy the Jaguar! To see a video of his visit click here, and to read what Kerry had to say about his visit click here. Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to visit with Kerry because my Mom and I are off-exhibit for a while to make sure I have plenty of time to play with her and all my zookeeper friends so I can grow up big and strong. Before I get back to playing I just want to remind you that the Belize Zoo depends entirely on admissions and donations to make ends meet, and we are feeling the pinch from the global economic crisis like everyone else, so please visit the zoo's website and make a donation so I can get new pair of gloves to chew on for Christmas!

Zoo Project CD Release Party

Hi! I'm Cortland the Margay (hangin' out in this photo with my Mom, Sweetgirl), and I'd like to invite you to the Belize Zoo Project CD Release Party at Lucky's on Main Street in Cortland this Friday, October 10, at 7:30PM. Several great bands will be performing as you can see from the poster, including SUNY Cortland's own Rock and Blues Ensemble, so please stop by and celebrate with some great live music. The CD Release Party is free and open to the public, and we'll be accepting donations for the zoo at the door. Anyone who donates $5 or more will get a free copy of the Belize Zoo Project CD (a $10 value). If you scroll back through the old posts you can hear a song about my pal "Jr. Buddy" by some faculty members of the Rock and Blues Ensemble.

For those of you who are interested in how things have been going for me, the answer is "great!" My Mom has been taking great care of me and keeping me sheltered from all the rain we've been having in Belize recently, so watch this space for more stories and photos about me.

By the way, if you'd like to travel to Belize and meet me in person there are still a few seats open on the Belize Zoo Project trip to the zoo this January 3-10. For more information send an e-mail to Belizezootour@gmail.com.

New Arrival!

In late August the female Margay at the Belize Zoo gave birth to an adorable new kitten! We are delighted to report that Sharon and her staff named the kitten "Cortland" in honor of the SUNY Cortland Belize Zoo Project's efforts on behalf of the zoo! As you can see both Mom and Cortland are doing well, and the animal management team at TBZ is giving them plenty of space to make sure proper bonding takes place. You may click on the picture to enlarge it.

We hope to post more "Cortland" pictures and stories on TBZblog in the near future. In the meantime, check out the "Margay" section of the Belize Zoo's website for more information about these rare and amazing animals. Some members and friends of the Belize Zoo Project will get to meet "Cortland" in person when we travel to Belize from January 3-10, 2009. There are still a few seats left on this trip, so if you'd like to find out more about travelling to the Belize Zoo with us send an e-mail to belizezootour@gmail.com.

TBZ Snakes on Patrol

There is a strict "no smoking" policy at the Belize Zoo to protect the health of animals and visitors alike, and the Green-headed Tree Snake pictured at left is searching for visitors who may have missed the signs. The word is that she reports all violations to her big cousins who are on exhibit near the zoo entrance. One of the cousins, "Rocky Balboa," TBZ's people-friendly boa constrictor, often greets adventurous visitors with a BIG hug. Boa's are Belize's largest species of snake, reaching up to twelve feet in length. They are found throughout Belize in areas where rodents are abundant, and "Rocky Balboa" keeps busy making friends with zoo visitors to educate them about how important it is to preserve Boa Constrictors in the wild.

Belize is home to fifty-nine species of snakes, nine of which are venomous. The Belize Zoo is home to two species of venomous snakes, the Tropical Rattlesnake and the Fer-de-lance. The Tropical Rattlesnake (or Cascabel as they are known in Belize) is mainly nocturnal and feeds on rodents or birds. They are found throughout Belize. While they are not considered an aggressive snake, they will rattle and coil to strike if they feel threatened.

The Fer-de-lance, known in Belize as the Yellow-jaw Tommygoff, is the most common venomous snake in Central America. The Fer-de-lance is a nocturnal predator feeding on frogs, birds, and small mammals. In Belize they are found mainly in the Northern and Southern Forests and the Mountain Pine Ridge area. The Fer-de-lance on exhibit at the Belize Zoo is pictured below. Their venom is a deadly hemotoxin, so make sure to heed the "no smoking" signs when you visit the zoo!

tbzblog is on facebook

Thanks to a dedicated reader, The Belize Zoo Blog is now included on Facebook.com's Blog Networks applications. What this did was encourage Tom to join Facebook, and it turns out that 9 independent Facebook users need to confirm him as author (though he is but one of several) before it will give the blog "authorship."

If you are on Facebook, feel free to add "Thomas Pasquarello" as a friend, and add the Blog Networks application so that you can confirm the authorship. (You can search the name in the search box and it will give you a choice to add him as a friend.) It seems like a good idea.

If you are not on Facebook, it is very easy to join, and it seems to be an ever-growing social networking platform, not just for teenagers and college students any more (although still very popular with those age groups!)

[Update: Thanks to a comment, you can get to the blog on the Facebook application HERE.]

"what I did on my summer vacation . . . "

From Sharon:


Millions of school children are about to return to school, and are being asked to write essays outlining what they did during their summer vacations. This little girl will certainly have a special experience to share, since she got to get up close and personal with Junior Buddy the Belize Zoo's "spokesjaguar."

TBZ and Selby Gardens: A Great Partnership

From Sharon...

It is great for TBZ to solidify important relationships that empower our institution and add to the environmental and conservation profile of other organizations. Recently, I was able to visit Belize Zoo groundskeeper Charles Sho at Selby Gardens, Sarasota, Florida, where he was undertaking a horticultural internship. Charles is concentrating on bromiliads and bamboo

propagation and both will greatly benefit his work at The Belize Zoo. I also saw valuable plants, collected over ten years ago by Bruce Holst, in Little Quartz Ridge, Belize, thriving in Selby green houses. And I had valuable meetings with Selby Education Director and amphibian expert, Donna Krabill, about our collaborative efforts...and even had a lesson on how to play the harp!!! Pictures speak so much louder than words.....

"Alan Rabinowitz . . . meet Daqueen"

From Sharon....

Alan Rabinowitz, the scientist who came to Belize more than 20 years ago and changed the way the nation and our people view the jaguar, recently returned! His fieldwork in the 1980s, resulted in the establishment of the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary, which is well-known as the only protected area in the world specifically established to focus upon the preservation of the jaguar. Alan, author of four books, now heads up the organization, Panthera. Based in New York, Panthera puts its skills and energies towards big cat preservation. He was accompanied by his assistant, Nicole Williams, and they are working to establish strong linkages in Belize so that Panthera's work can go forward to benefit jaguar conservation. At The Belize Zoo, Alan and Nicole saw the problem jaguar rehabilitation and research center, had a "close encounter" with Junior Buddy, our charismatic "education jaguar", and met with our staff. Alan had never had the opportunity to share space with a Harpy Eagle, so we took advantage of this "gap" in his life and introduced the one and only Alan Rabinowitz, to the one and only Daqueen - our female Harpy.

Junior Buddy Has a Theme Song!

The big cats in the Jaguar Rehab program at the Belize Zoo each have their own song that Sharon sings to them help them get used to being around humans. Now, thanks to the SUNY Cortland Rock and Blues Ensemble, you can hear a rockin' version of the song she sings to Junior Buddy, the Belize Zoo's famous "Education Jaguar." To hear the song, just click on the following link: Junior Buddy is a Jaguar

The song features the following faculty and staff members of the ensemble: Steven Barnes on keyboard, Rick Harris on guitar, Colleen Kattau on vocals, Tom Pasquarello on harmonica, Mark Prus on bass, and Mark Taylor on drums. Keep checking the Belize Zoo blog for an upcoming music video of "Junior Buddy is a Jaguar."

Meet Junior Buddy!

From Sharon...

The Belize Zoo has been called "The Best Little Zoo in the World" and it is our mission to see that our visitors receive outstanding wildlife experiences when they come by. Starting in August 2009 zoo visitors will have the opportunity to get "up close and personal" with one of our most special animals - "Junior Buddy".

"Junior Buddy" was born at the zoo. His mother, "Springfield," entered our Jaguar Rehab program after being "arrested" for preying upon sheep. We had no idea she was pregnant when she arrived! Three months after she came to the zoo, "Springfield" gave birth to her cub, but being a mother was not on her agenda. After she rejected her son the Belize Zoo staff and I became "Junior Buddy's" mother!

Since he was raised by humans "Junior Buddy" can never be released back into the wild, so he has taken on the role of "spokes-jaguar." Being so people-friendly, he provides an important link, a bond, between our visitors and his endangered fellow jaguars. It is not rocket science. More then 17,000 Belizean schoolchildren visit the zoo each year. Once they experience the one and only "Junior Buddy" they become partners in our efforts to protect wild jaguars and their habitat in Belize.

If you visit TBZ you'll have the chance to participate in a "jaguar encounter" with "Junior Buddy." Petting this magnificent animal through our safety cage (see above) and having him prance on top of the cage over your head is an experience you will never forget, and it will reinforce the hope we all have that these beautiful animals will continue to be here for future generations!

Psycho Derek - The Anteater

From Sharon . . .

When the Belize Zoo receives wildlife that is suitable for release back into the wild, we step up to the plate and do our best to see that this can happen.

In the past, we have successfully releaed a jabiru stork, crocodiles, snakes, coatimundis, and kinkajous.

Recently, we were handed an adult anteater who was the sorry victim of a dog attack. His wounds were extensive, but his wild nature told us to work on the wound situation, and then send him back into the forest. We would, of course, be certain that his release would be far away from any village, no more dog attacks!!!

The video clip says it all. This fortunate fellow was released in a protected area not far from TBZ. We know that the lands where he was released, serve as a fine home to many species, anteaters included!

Baby Toucans!

From Sharon . . .

The area around the toucan exhibit will really come alive soon. Three aracari toucans arrived to the zoo in June.

Two, victims of field clearing during the relentless dry season, were nest orphans. TBZ staff raised the featherless babies and they are now thriving young aracaris.

Names? They earned their titles. One is named "Poopsalot" his buddy is "Gurji" (short for regurgitate).

The third happy aracari joined them recently, a pet who needed to be with his own kind. They all seem happy to be together and the aracari trio will soon be greeting visitors at the zoo.

TBZ Tapirs

From Sharon . . .

Everyone at TBZ is keeping their fingers crossed about our two tapirs, Ceibo and Navidad, living happily together and having a family.

Thanks to help from British Forces Belize and MoonRacer Farm in Cayo, we were able to extend the tapir area, providing the two endangered "Mountain Cows", their own private enclosure.

The Central American tapir is an endangered species and breeding them in captivity is high on our "wish list" of things to happen at the zoo.

They are gentle herbivores, and the Central American tapir is the National Animal of Belize.

images from a january 2007 visit

Matt and I accompanied Tom, his colleague Steve, and their students to Belize in January 2007. It was an amazing experience, particularly for then 7-year-old Matt. The following is an excerpt from my trip journal, and I am including a couple of photos I was able to snap in the rain.

We had about an hour at the zoo and we had the special opportunity to see the troubled jaguar area (ordinarily closed to the public). The zoo staff endeavors, with cooperation of the government of Belize, to save the endangered species when possible from being killed/poisoned when the jaguars, because of declining habitat, start going after domestic animals and are captured. The zoo rehabs the animals in three phases for socialization (Sharon plays guitar and sings to each jaguar nightly -- an unique song with each animal's name in it) and eventually the rehabilitated animals will be donated to approved zoos, usually in the U.S. Introducing rehabilitated wild jaguars to those in captivity facilitates breeding with needed genetic material, because too much inbreeding among jaguars in captivity negatively affects the gene pool.

We got to see "Wild Boy," phase 2, and Matt got to feed him some raw chicken with the help of a zoo staffer who carefully held his fingers in as you can see in the photo. Wild Boy was indeed wild! We also got to see "Field Master," phase 2. Wild Boy gives "paws up" high fives and both cats had been trained to roll over. [Paws Up became our group's rallying cry . . . going along well with the high fives that Steve and Tom occasionally gave the class members at the beginnings of events.] We also saw two females and then were off to explore the zoo on our own until 11:30. . . . I saw some beautiful endangered birds (couldn't get a good photo in the rain) [as well as a] Tapir from about 20 feet away . . .

Paws Up!

Also, for your enjoyment, is a little YouTube video taken by one of the students on the trip, entitled: Tapir Pee.

[Posted by Nan P.]

Home for the Harpies

Click on the title to read about the Home for the Harpies campaign on Bruce Barcott's website.

Pictured, at left, is Belize Zoo Director Sharon Matola, with Panama!

Welcome

Hi, my name is Tom Pasquarello, and I am a professor of political science who specializes in environmental policy. I first visited Belize more than a dozen years ago, and I immediately fell in love with this beautiful country that, as author Bruce Barcott wrote, is "firmly attached to Central America but considers itself a Caribbean island." Shortly thereafter, my friend and biologist colleague Steve Broyles and I started bringing our students at SUNY Cortland to Belize to study how environment and economy interact in developing nations. The Belize Zoo was usually on our itinerary when we visited, so I was delighted to learn that another colleague from biology Tim Baroni was bringing Sharon Matola, the zoo's founder and director, to our campus to speak. Sharon's talk brought the house down, and shortly thereafter several of us decided we wanted to help the zoo with its conservation and education programs in Belize. We founded SUNY Cortland's Belize Zoo Project to raise friends and funds for the zoo. That, in turn, got me invited to a Belize Zoo fundraiser that John and Nancy Kennedy held at their home in Milwaukee. During my visit John, Nancy, Sharon, Claudia Duenas (the zoo's business manager) and I decided that we would start this blog to help get the word out about about the important and exciting work being done at the zoo. We hope you like it. If you do, visit often and please tell your friends about us!

P.S. You may enlarge photos within posts by clicking on the images.