Fund Placencia Nature Center, Unite communities

One of our older croc enclosures needed a revamp, especially during this breeding season where the males may try to get a bit closer to our female croc ambassador, Savannah. Aemon, who is a 8 ½ ft male Morelet’s crocodile, needed new fencing for his enclosure as some of the fencing was starting to deteriorate due to the various climatic factors of Belize (heat and salty air!). Thanks to financial support, we were able to put in new fencing around his enclosure as well as strengthen the enclosure to ensure his safety. Aemon has been a croc ambassador with the CRC since 2019, and is an excellent candidate and example of crocodile intelligence as he is excellent with his target training skills. We target train all of our ambassadors at the CRC to assist in continuous veterinary examination, as well as to provide mental and physical stimulation of our captive animals.

And in our last report, we discussed about our new croc ambassador Einstein. We are so happy to say he has gained his trust with us fairly quickly and we are just starting the beginning of target training with him. It usually takes 8-9months for crocs to gain their trust with us, and that means even showing themselves to us. Einstein however is living up to his name and is already very comfortable with us, really starting to show his trust in us this past April. Continue financial support will help us with his veterinary and husbandry needs.

Thank you to all who have donated towards our project through GlobalGiving. We hope we continue to raise more funds so we can break ground of our planned science museum, and the first location to house fossils and other paleontological wildlife finds here in Belize. Paleontology is in its infancy here in Belize, and many young students are unaware of this field of science. And most importantly, we hope to raise funds to continue to provide excellent husbandry care for our croc ambassadors. Five out of six of our crocodile species have some type of ailment that prevents them from surviving in the wild. Savannah will need an x-ray soon to ensure she is not developing a bone infection in her snout, so your contributions ensure our crocs live healthy lives in captivity!

We are very grateful to all of those that have donated and are willing to help us create a place of education, tolerance, and empathy towards crocodiles and all wildlife along with exciting the next generation about science and conservation! Furthermore, this project will help us revive lost generational tolerance and culture that was tied to crocodiles and their environment. Thank you all so much for sinking your teeth into conservation with the CRC and Belize!

Dr. Marisa Tellez and the CRC team