Tropical Education Center & Belize Zoo
What a full and fun day it had already been by the time we reached the Tropical Education Center in the Belize Zoo! But the evening promised even more adventure. So we quickly moved our things into our home for the night—one of the two “Savanna Castle” dormitories—and headed to the dining hall for a relaxed and delicious dinner.
Located in the savannas of the Central Belizean Corridor, The Tropical Education Center/Belize Zoo (TEC/BZ) is all about wildlife conservation and habitat protection.
But our first encounter with wildlife that evening actually occurred before our visit to the zoo proper: In the short time that we took to eat, a spider created a huge web blocking the path back to the dormitory—luckily, our trusty guide, Ivar, was able to quickly steer us to another path.
You might wonder “Why tour a zoo after dark, when you can see so much more in the daylight?” But if you have ever experienced the heat and humidity of a typical summer day in the tropics, you will appreciate why both people and animals may prefer moving around after the sun goes down. Additionally, the Belize Zoo has many fascinating nocturnal animals.
Unfortunately, mosquitos and other flying pests are also active at night. Luckily, most of us came well prepared, with lightweight hiking clothes, bug repellant, flashlights, and cameras.
On our evening tour, we learned that the “best little zoo in the world” features a wide variety of native species. And that it acquires most of its animals through rescuing orphans and“pets” that are abandoned by their owners, raising offspring born at the Zoo, and accepting donations from other zoos. A sign attributed to one of the Zoo’s kinkajous expressed dismay about the practice of taking wild animals as pets:
I am a kinkajou and was kept as a pet. That’s the wrong thing to do! But I’m not done quite yet! The wildlife of Belize belong[s] in the wild! That’s my important message to every man, woman and child!”
– Kinkajou
– Potos flavus
– “Night Walker”
It was easy to see why someone might try to keep these creatures for pets—we were all charmed by watching the jaguar called Sylvia work for treats. As a cub, she’d be even more cuddly and cute. But I wouldn’t want to meet her in the dark now! And I wonder how well Sylvia would fare in the wild now that she’s become accustomed to performing for her dinner.
After the Zoo tour, you might think we would collapse from exhaustion. But no. Many gathered in the common “room” of our dormitory to rehash the day’s events and listen to the sounds of a night in the wild. As you can see, the rustic dorm was very close to nature—only screens separated inside from outside. And we took advantage of the airflow to dry out our towels from the morning tubing adventure. Although rustic, we did not want for electric power, water, or comfy beds (just for wifi… but in a pinch we could have found it in the dining hall 🤗).
Incredibly, Gigi, Sarah, Andrew, and several others accepted Ivar’s invitation to go birdwatching at the crack of dawn. I was not one of them, but our brave adventurers shared the following beautiful photos from their expedition!
I was among the few who couldn’t face waking up at the crack of dawn after so many early mornings in a row. I slept in, instead. But I was careful to wake up with enough time to arrive early for breakfast at the dining hall, where I could connect and triage some of the accumulated email.
Our brief stay at the TEC/Belize Zoo ended with a scrumptious breakfast—yes, hot sauce with every meal–and a “Thank you and farewell!” to the very hospitable TEC/BZ staff members! Seated from left to right at the breakfast table are Elvira (our phenomenal travel coordinator and owner of VMA Suites), Katie A, Andrew, Katie W, Sarah, myself, Gigi, Jonathan, David, Teresa, and Joyce; in the back are Abraham (our ever patient bus driver) and Ivar (our fun and knowledgeable guide).
- L. Dillon
Located in the savannas of the Central Belizean Corridor, The Tropical Education Center/Belize Zoo (TEC/BZ) is all about wildlife conservation and habitat protection.
But our first encounter with wildlife that evening actually occurred before our visit to the zoo proper: In the short time that we took to eat, a spider created a huge web blocking the path back to the dormitory—luckily, our trusty guide, Ivar, was able to quickly steer us to another path.
You might wonder “Why tour a zoo after dark, when you can see so much more in the daylight?” But if you have ever experienced the heat and humidity of a typical summer day in the tropics, you will appreciate why both people and animals may prefer moving around after the sun goes down. Additionally, the Belize Zoo has many fascinating nocturnal animals.
Unfortunately, mosquitos and other flying pests are also active at night. Luckily, most of us came well prepared, with lightweight hiking clothes, bug repellant, flashlights, and cameras.
On our evening tour, we learned that the “best little zoo in the world” features a wide variety of native species. And that it acquires most of its animals through rescuing orphans and“pets” that are abandoned by their owners, raising offspring born at the Zoo, and accepting donations from other zoos. A sign attributed to one of the Zoo’s kinkajous expressed dismay about the practice of taking wild animals as pets:
I am a kinkajou and was kept as a pet. That’s the wrong thing to do! But I’m not done quite yet! The wildlife of Belize belong[s] in the wild! That’s my important message to every man, woman and child!”
– Kinkajou
– Potos flavus
– “Night Walker”
It was easy to see why someone might try to keep these creatures for pets—we were all charmed by watching the jaguar called Sylvia work for treats. As a cub, she’d be even more cuddly and cute. But I wouldn’t want to meet her in the dark now! And I wonder how well Sylvia would fare in the wild now that she’s become accustomed to performing for her dinner.
After the Zoo tour, you might think we would collapse from exhaustion. But no. Many gathered in the common “room” of our dormitory to rehash the day’s events and listen to the sounds of a night in the wild. As you can see, the rustic dorm was very close to nature—only screens separated inside from outside. And we took advantage of the airflow to dry out our towels from the morning tubing adventure. Although rustic, we did not want for electric power, water, or comfy beds (just for wifi… but in a pinch we could have found it in the dining hall 🤗).
Incredibly, Gigi, Sarah, Andrew, and several others accepted Ivar’s invitation to go birdwatching at the crack of dawn. I was not one of them, but our brave adventurers shared the following beautiful photos from their expedition!
I was among the few who couldn’t face waking up at the crack of dawn after so many early mornings in a row. I slept in, instead. But I was careful to wake up with enough time to arrive early for breakfast at the dining hall, where I could connect and triage some of the accumulated email.
Our brief stay at the TEC/Belize Zoo ended with a scrumptious breakfast—yes, hot sauce with every meal–and a “Thank you and farewell!” to the very hospitable TEC/BZ staff members! Seated from left to right at the breakfast table are Elvira (our phenomenal travel coordinator and owner of VMA Suites), Katie A, Andrew, Katie W, Sarah, myself, Gigi, Jonathan, David, Teresa, and Joyce; in the back are Abraham (our ever patient bus driver) and Ivar (our fun and knowledgeable guide).
