After flying into Belize City, our group of 22 students and 2 instructors drove some 47km west to the Belize Zoo and Tropical Education Center (which would serve as our main hub over the 10-day stay).

Welcome Sign (Photo courtesy of Sara Weisberg-Denver Zoo)

The Belize Zoo was started in 1983 after filmmakers discarded a group of wild animals that they had collected to make a documentary about tropical forests. Someone needed to take these animals in, as they were no longer suitable for the wild. That’s where the Belize Zoo comes in.

Crocodile sign

The Zoo is unique in that they only house native wildlife, and they obtain their animals because they were orphaned, rescued, born at the zoo, rehabilitated animals, or sent to the Belize Zoo as donations from other zoos. Their collection includes jaguars, ocelots, margays, coatis, harpy eagles, scarlet macaws, black howler monkeys, spider monkeys, boa constrictors, tapirs, and lots more.

Cougar sign

We spent a considerable amount of time there, learning about their efforts to educate Belizeans about the rich wildlife diversity that is apparent in their country. What struck me most were their signs. All exhibit signs are hand-painted with quirky, sing-song like poems that encourage native Belizeans to learn more about, and take pride in their national animals. Like, their national animal for example…the tapir. How many people really know what a tapir is (outside the Zoo world), or where our tapirs come from?

Baird's (or Central American) Tapir

I bet you anyone that has visited the Belize Zoo can tell you what their country’s national animal is…and the names of all the tapirs at the Zoo…and their stories, no less.

One of many tapir signs

Speaking of animals’ stories…our class had a long discussion on connecting Zoo visitors to the animals. Do we want to name our animals so that you feel more connected to them? Should we have more signage that tells the tearful stories of how many of our animals  find themselves at our Zoo? Would this information cause you to care for the animals more, and therefore want to save them in the wild?

Spider Monkey Exhibit Sign

Zoo’s are constantly struggling with signage…more technology, less technology, more words, less words, more photos, less photos, conservation messaging, animal background, range, history…it does not stop!

Ocelot Sign

So, I will let these signs speak for themselves, and the next time you’re at our Zoo-make sure to stop and spend some time reading the signs in front of the exhibits-you might even learn something.

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