The Belize Tourism Board Adopts Junior Buddy

The Director of Product Development at the Belize Tourism Board, Mrs. Laura Frampton and Product Development Officer, Mr. Evan Young, visited the Belize Zoo on March 10^th, 2009 to lend their support for the work and dedication the Belize Zoo carries out on a daily basis. The BTB's is participating in the adoption of "Junior Buddy" and a check for $3,650.00 BZ was presented to Sharon Matolla, Director of the Belize Zoo.

Junior Buddy became an unexpected resident of the Belize Zoo when a sickly female jaguar, later named Springfield, was transferred to Belize as a part of the zoo's "Problem Jaguar Rehabilitation Program. To the surprise of the zookeepers, three months after her arrival, Springfield gave birth to a male cub which she later rejected. Unable to release him into the wild, the zoo staff decided to care for him and named him "Junior Buddy"

Since then he has been raised in the behavioral enrichment training program and become the Zoo's lead education jaguar Junior Buddy's education program is designed to educate visitors about the majestic beauty of the jaguar, the strategies necessary to establish their survival and the important forest habitats of jaguars.

The Belize Tourism Board is proud to partner with the Belize Zoo in its endurance to educate the public on Belize's unique eco-systems and diverse wildlife as well as to promote the importance of the protection of wildlife. The Belize Zoo sits on 29 acres of tropical savanna and has 125 species of animals which include mammals, birds, and reptiles. The zoo keeps animals which were orphaned, born at the zoo, rehabilitated or sent as gifts from other zoological institutions.

The Belize tourism product depends heavily on the country's natural resources and these initiatives by the Belize Tourism Board are a way of supporting those who manage Belize natural resources for future generations.