Belize Zoo

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The Belize Zoo was founded in 1983 after Sharon Matola was left with 17 semi-domesticated animals following the filming of the wildlife documentary Path of the Raingods. Rather than risk their survival in the wild, she created a safe home for them, and in the following decades, countless other rescued, injured, and orphaned animals, or those born in captivity in other zoos. Unlike most zoos, the Belize Zoo is what you’d call “permeable” with the grounds, and even some of the animal enclosures are open to the wild. Chances are, along with the jaguars, tucans, tapirs, and 40+ other species housed in the zoo, you’ll see “free runners” like rabbits, iguanas, snakes, and free-flying tropical birds that have come in to steal a bite to eat or just hang out.