BABOON SANCTUARY
"Baboon Ya De Fu We", a creole saying meaning, "The Baboons here are our responsibility."
One of the most popular and successful conservation projects in Belize. Founded in 1985, the Baboon Santuary is a co-operative effort between environmentalists (aided by the World Wildlife Fund under the auspices of the Audubon Society) and local creole landowners to save Central America's declining population of black howler monkeys, known as baboons in Belize. Apart from Belize, this sub-species is only found in the river lowlands of Guatemala and southern Mexico, where the rainforest has been shrinking at such a rate that extinction was becoming probable.
A zoologist from the University of Wisconsin, Dr. Robert Horwich, initially signed an agreement with 16 local farmers along the Belize River; while still working their agricultural lands, the farmers pledged to follow a management plan that would help protect the howler monkeys.
The agreement covered topics as diverse as a co-ordination plan for cutting and burning local plantations, to the building of "baboon bridges" - rope and wood ladders hung across roadways to allow monkeys safe crossings. The program was an instant success and has been the basis for other community-based reserves around the world. Since 1985, the number of participating farmers has gone up to nearly 100, allowing the sanctuary to cover 20 miles along the Belize River.
Villagers have profited from the rise in tourism, and have taken up the creole slogan "Baboon ya de fu we" ("literally translated as "The baboons here are our responsibility.") Howler monkey numbers, initially estimated at 800, are now around 1,200 and rising. The program has also had an impact elsewhere in the country with howler monkeys being successfully relocated to the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Reserve by a team of American scientists aided by Belizean volunteers. The new "colony" is said to be doing well.
The sanctuary's service village is Bermudian Landing, a British logging camp in the 1600s and today a relaxed creole outpost. Check in at the visitors' center here - there are some places to stay, some flat ground for tents, or the station manager can arrange for accommodation with local families. A small museum, opened in 1989, was Belize's first devoted to natural history, and an interpretative trail can be followed. Canoe trips, horseback riding and crocodile watching tours are also available. There is also a jam factory and a Creole Cultural Center. All visitors are asked to register at the Community Baboon Sanctuary Museum, open 8:00 a.m to 5:00 p.m. daily. The regular nature trail costs $10.00 BZD per person and night hikes are available for $20.00 BZD per person.
A zoologist from the University of Wisconsin, Dr. Robert Horwich, initially signed an agreement with 16 local farmers along the Belize River; while still working their agricultural lands, the farmers pledged to follow a management plan that would help protect the howler monkeys.
The agreement covered topics as diverse as a co-ordination plan for cutting and burning local plantations, to the building of "baboon bridges" - rope and wood ladders hung across roadways to allow monkeys safe crossings. The program was an instant success and has been the basis for other community-based reserves around the world. Since 1985, the number of participating farmers has gone up to nearly 100, allowing the sanctuary to cover 20 miles along the Belize River.
Villagers have profited from the rise in tourism, and have taken up the creole slogan "Baboon ya de fu we" ("literally translated as "The baboons here are our responsibility.") Howler monkey numbers, initially estimated at 800, are now around 1,200 and rising. The program has also had an impact elsewhere in the country with howler monkeys being successfully relocated to the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Reserve by a team of American scientists aided by Belizean volunteers. The new "colony" is said to be doing well.
The sanctuary's service village is Bermudian Landing, a British logging camp in the 1600s and today a relaxed creole outpost. Check in at the visitors' center here - there are some places to stay, some flat ground for tents, or the station manager can arrange for accommodation with local families. A small museum, opened in 1989, was Belize's first devoted to natural history, and an interpretative trail can be followed. Canoe trips, horseback riding and crocodile watching tours are also available. There is also a jam factory and a Creole Cultural Center. All visitors are asked to register at the Community Baboon Sanctuary Museum, open 8:00 a.m to 5:00 p.m. daily. The regular nature trail costs $10.00 BZD per person and night hikes are available for $20.00 BZD per person.
