Saving manatees and monkeys in Belize

Back to the wild: a season of releases and new beginnings

The last two months have been all about one of the moments we work towards for years: release back to the wild.

Both howler and spider monkeys have taken that final step, but perhaps the best known is Izzie. Many of you have followed her journey since she first arrived at Wildtracks with a broken arm and shotgun pellets embedded in her body. Confiscated by the Belize Forest Department, she quickly became a firm favourite as she navigated a series of operations and the long process of rehabilitation.

This year, Izzie finally cleared every pre-release assessment. She was ready.

And she aced it.

Released alongside Chippa and Kali, Izzie took to the trees like a professional. Two months later, all three are still doing well, showing just what is possible when injured and confiscated wildlife is given the time, expertise and care needed to recover. For Izzie, the journey from a badly injured monkey to a free-ranging spider monkey has been extraordinary.

Kit and Kat are now living wild

There has been equally exciting news from our manatee programme. Kit and Kat have successfully completed soft release and are now living wild,  another huge milestone after the intensive care and rehabilitation that brought them this far.

Meanwhile, Twix is making excellent progress. He arrived at Wildtracks with pneumonia, and his recovery was far from straightforward. When the first course of antibiotics failed to improve his breathing, we worked virtually with our US veterinary partners to find another solution. Together, we constructed a nebulizing chamber that could deliver antibiotics in aerosol form.

It worked.

Twix’s latest health assessment showed that his lungs have cleared, and the worrying, phlegmy breathing has gone. He is now living in the Lagoon Enclosure, breathing quietly and moving steadily towards soft release.

And he has had visitors.

Wild manatees have been coming to the fenced enclosure to greet him, including Mitch and Lucky—now in their tenth year since release—as well as Hope. Seeing former rehabilitation manatees still thriving in the wild a decade later is one of the strongest reminders of why this work matters.

Changing the future for wildlife across Belize

Our work does not stop at rescue, rehabilitation and release. We also work to strengthen the systems that determine the future of wildlife across Belize.

Over recent years, Wildtracks has worked closely with the Belize Forest Department to lead the revision of the country’s Wildlife Protection Act into a new Wildlife Conservation and Management Act, passed by Government in June alongside Belize’s first Wildlife Policy, Strategy and Action Plan.

This is a major step forward for wildlife conservation in Belize. The new framework formally recognises wildlife rehabilitation centres, strengthens penalties for wildlife crime, and creates a clearer foundation for threatened species planning, conservation research and long-term wildlife management.

It was also a genuinely collaborative effort, bringing together voices from across Belize, from Maya communities in the south to wildlife rehabilitation centres, researchers, protected area managers, hunters and government departments.

These may seem very different kinds of achievements: a spider monkey returning to the forest, a manatee recovering from pneumonia, two rehabilitated manatees beginning life in the wild, and a new national framework for wildlife conservation.

But they are all part of the same story.

Wildlife recovery depends on skilled care, long-term commitment, collaboration and the resources to keep going when the path is difficult. Your support helps make that possible - from the intensive daily care of an injured animal to the wider changes that can shape the future of wildlife across Belize.

Thank you for being part of that journey!