About The Belize Zoo
Want to learn more about the Belize Zoo? Check out a quick breakdown below
Where is the Belize Zoo?
The Belize Zoo and Tropical Education Center (BZTEC) is located 29 miles from Belize City along the George Price Highway in the Belize District, Belize.
The Zoo is set on 29 acres of tropical savanna. BZTEC is in the heart of the Central Belize Corridor, a mosaic of public and lands that provides resources and living space for over 19 rural communities, as well as a broad diversity of wildlife species, including the jaguar.
This little section of forest is home to the animals of Belize, large and small: those that fly and those that swim, herbivores and carnivores, those that stalk and the stalked. Among them the jaguar, the puma, the tapir, the river otters and American crocodiles, the scarlet macaw and the toucan, the Jabiru stork and the majestic harpy eagle. The inhabitants having arrived injured or orphaned, or having come into conflict with humans who came to live among them, it is unlike any “zoo” in the world.
What kind of animals live at the Belize Zoo?
It is home to 217 animals, representing 45 species that are all native to Belize. Several of these species are highly endangered/threatened: scarlet macaw, spider and howler monkeys, Central American tapir, jaguar, harpy eagle, Central American river turtle, and the white-lipped peccary. The animals at the zoo are orphaned, rescued, confiscated, born at the zoo, rehabilitating - no animals are acquired from the wild.
What else should I know about the Belize Zoo?
Here are a few of our favorite facts!
The Belize Zoo was founded in 1983 by Sharon Matola.
All animals at the Belize Zoo are either rescues, orphaned, injured, confiscated from the illegal wildlife trade, or born at the facility. The zoo does not take animals from the wild to keep in captivity.
About 40% of visitors are Belizeans.
52 Belizeans are employed at the Zoo.
Steve Irwin once visited the Belize Zoo in an episode of his show, The Crocodile Hunter.
The Zoo is the only nature destination in Belize that is fully accessible to visitors with physical disabilities.
How can I support BZNC’s projects that help the Belize Zoo?
We’re so excited you want to get involved! You can learn more about how to support our projects here.
