Wildtracks Belize, Sarteneja, BelizeLilia Trissler

Class of 2016Davis International Fellow

Wildtracks Belize• Wildlife rehabilitation center in Sarteneja, Belize focusing on

conservation, education, and research• Working towards the sustainable future of natural resources

of the people of Belize• Established in 1990 and registered non-profit organization in

1996• Mainly dedicated to rehabilitation and release of Yucatan

Black Howler Monkeys, Spider Monkeys, and Manatees

Primate Rehabilitation Program• Both primate species globally endangered and Belize’s

populations pressured by tropical forest clearance and illegal pet trade

• Wildtracks is the main rehabilitation center for primates in Belize

• Take in monkeys surrendered to or confiscated by the Forest Department as well as injured wild animals

• Goal: reduce the illegal pet trade of monkeys in Belize and give all animals who enter the center the best possible chance to be returned to the wild

• Monkeys come to the center at all ages and go through stages of rehabilitation eventually being placed into a troop and prepared for the wild

• Nursery Unit Forest Cages Pre-Release Enclosure Release in Wild

• 97% success rate with howler monkeys• No spider monkey releases yet

Manatee Rehabilitation Program• Antillean manatee of Belize• Endangered subspecies of the West Indian Manatees,

population estimated at 800 to 1000 in the wild• Goal: Care for all orphaned/injured manatees found in

Belizean water, prepare rehabilitated manatees for reintroduction to wild, raise awareness of manatees and conservation

• Center located on Shipstern Lagoon providing natural environment for soft-release process prior to final release

• Biggest threats are increasing boat traffic and watercraft collisions

• Manatees placed in different size pools according to rehabilitation progress, once old enough manatees are released into lagoon slowly

• Finally fitted with tracking device and monitored for first year of release

• 100% success rate

Fireburn Reserve• 1818 acre protected area managed by Wildtracks and the

Fireburn community• Corozal District adjacent to Shipstern Lagoon• Small Creole community • Protects high number of species of flora and fauna• Research projects conducted here to build knowledge of the

reserve and howler monkey release success• Location of all howler monkey releases and relocations

Volunteer Duties at Fireburn• Three troops released early June• Spent total of 16 days at Fireburn living at the field base and

tracking the newly released troops from dawn to dusk• Helped Masters Candidates from University of Leeds in

England collect data for theses including foraging strategies, activity budgets, and ranging behaviors

• Make sure newly released monkeys were adapting well to the wild

• Problems that Aroseo Fights between troops o Spartacus and Jenny split up twice (Jenny

was missing for a month, then Spartacus disappeared once Jenny was found)

o Alpha male of teen troop driven out of troop by wild male howler

Bean’s Troop• Assigned to howler monkey troop of five: Bean, J.W., Suri,

Hobbs, and Jessie• Prepared three feeds a day: 6:30 AM, 10:00 AM, and 2:00 PM• Fed monkeys three times a day at the feeds• Maintained cleanliness of enclosure

Volunteer Duties at the Center• Care for assigned animals• Assisted with food preparation for all monkeys at the center• Helped with manatee watches for Ben (newly admitted

manatee) as well as help with daily tube feeding• Manatee swims with baby manatees (Khaleesi, Lucky, and

Mitch) to help with socialization and attachment• Helped gather browse for monkey feeds• Helped with care of “odds and sods” (raccoon, peccaries,

birds, deer)

What I Learned• How wildlife rehabilitation centers are run• How the rehabilitation process is conducted for three

different species• Food preparation for primates• Knowledge of marine mammal biology• Knowledge of primate biology• Field skills, such as tracking• Use of GPS trackers• How to live and work closely with approximately 20 other

people