WILDLIFE INTERACTIONS
Our marine life - sharks, manatees, turtles, dolphins, fish and the tiny coral polyp - attracts many visitors to Belize. Should seeing them up close within arms reach be so important to our success that we must change their natural behavior? When wild marine life becomes accustomed to human interactions, their natural hunting instincts and fear of humans decrease, which can result in their demise.
The feeding of marine life has resulted in the death of a well known green sea turtle, and has made sharks and rays as eager as puppies at the thought of a handout. If encountered outside of a feeding area, they would perhaps be curious for an instant and then likely flee rapidly away.
Tour guides are touching and handling sharks and rays and encouraging their guests to also touch. Tour guides are also permitting their guests to touch manatees and sea turtles. Nurse sharks, manatees and sea turtles are protected by Belize laws, which prohibit harassment.
Tour boats are operating at high speeds in critical manatee habitat. In 2017 there were at least 14 manatees killed in the Belize River, their deaths likely caused by a tour boat traveling to see manatees.
Tours need to be designed to enable viewing of wild life, but to not cause harm to the very creature that many operators and guides rely on for their livelihoods.
Visitors need to be educated on best practices for wildlife interactions and patronize operators that respect wildlife.
In many cases feeding and touching marine life has become common place and is condoned by authorities. Authorities need to review these activities, and either enforce the regulations or amend them to allow feeding, touching and operating at reckless speeds in critical manatee habitat.
If we would like to continue to benefit from the natural wealth untold Belize's seascape offers, then we should work towards treating wild marine life with respect and admire their natural ways, not altered by feeding, and respect and protect critical habitat.
What's acceptable and what's not? Please share your views and submit your vote below.
The feeding of marine life has resulted in the death of a well known green sea turtle, and has made sharks and rays as eager as puppies at the thought of a handout. If encountered outside of a feeding area, they would perhaps be curious for an instant and then likely flee rapidly away.
Tour guides are touching and handling sharks and rays and encouraging their guests to also touch. Tour guides are also permitting their guests to touch manatees and sea turtles. Nurse sharks, manatees and sea turtles are protected by Belize laws, which prohibit harassment.
Tour boats are operating at high speeds in critical manatee habitat. In 2017 there were at least 14 manatees killed in the Belize River, their deaths likely caused by a tour boat traveling to see manatees.
Tours need to be designed to enable viewing of wild life, but to not cause harm to the very creature that many operators and guides rely on for their livelihoods.
Visitors need to be educated on best practices for wildlife interactions and patronize operators that respect wildlife.
In many cases feeding and touching marine life has become common place and is condoned by authorities. Authorities need to review these activities, and either enforce the regulations or amend them to allow feeding, touching and operating at reckless speeds in critical manatee habitat.
If we would like to continue to benefit from the natural wealth untold Belize's seascape offers, then we should work towards treating wild marine life with respect and admire their natural ways, not altered by feeding, and respect and protect critical habitat.
What's acceptable and what's not? Please share your views and submit your vote below.
Antillean Manatees
There are less than 1000 Antillean manatees in Belize. Manatee tours are very popular in Belize and visitors enjoy seeing them on their trips. There are places where manatees are regularly encountered while snorkeling on the reef and these interactions should have "best practice" guidelines to minimize negative impacts on manatees.
Many tours are conducted to the Belize River Mouth to see the manatees that are regularly observed here. However, the increased boat traffic to this site has resulted in the deaths of at least 14 manatees in 2017. If this area is so important for manatees,
Many tours are conducted to the Belize River Mouth to see the manatees that are regularly observed here. However, the increased boat traffic to this site has resulted in the deaths of at least 14 manatees in 2017. If this area is so important for manatees,
Feeding Sea Turtles
What's acceptable and what's not?
Sea turtles are being fed at popular tourist sites to attract sea turtles and entertain visitors, in hopes of getting rave reviews and extra tips. There are three known sites where sea turtles are being fed by tour operators and their guides:
Sea turtles are feeding on the discarded lobster and conch scraps thrown into the sea by fishermen when anchored and cleaning their product. According to many sailboat fishermen, the loggerhead turtles regularly feed on these deposited scraps. This practice has likely been occurring as long as fishermen have been cleaning their product
Feeding sea turtles changes their natural behavior in the following ways:
Is it acceptable to provide turtles with food in both instances described above? It would be easier to ask guides to stop feeding the turtles then to ask fishermen to stop throwing the lobster and conch guts back into the sea. Could the fishermen be asked to clean their product at specific sites that tour operators could take their visitors to? In this way visitors would still be able to see turtles, but guides would not be feeding.
Sea turtles are being fed at popular tourist sites to attract sea turtles and entertain visitors, in hopes of getting rave reviews and extra tips. There are three known sites where sea turtles are being fed by tour operators and their guides:
- Mexico Rocks, Ambergris Caye
- Conch Graveyard, Ambergris Caye
- Turtle Spot, Placencia
Sea turtles are feeding on the discarded lobster and conch scraps thrown into the sea by fishermen when anchored and cleaning their product. According to many sailboat fishermen, the loggerhead turtles regularly feed on these deposited scraps. This practice has likely been occurring as long as fishermen have been cleaning their product
Feeding sea turtles changes their natural behavior in the following ways:
- eat items not part of their natural diet
- become accustomed to humans which can be detrimental to their health, ie boat strikes or poaching
- change in migration and foraging activities
Is it acceptable to provide turtles with food in both instances described above? It would be easier to ask guides to stop feeding the turtles then to ask fishermen to stop throwing the lobster and conch guts back into the sea. Could the fishermen be asked to clean their product at specific sites that tour operators could take their visitors to? In this way visitors would still be able to see turtles, but guides would not be feeding.
 This photo of Belize Master Tours is courtesy of TripAdvisor |
MEXICO ROCKS
Now officially part of Hol Chan Marine Reserve, a juvenile green turtle was regularly fed here by tour operators and their guides, and was run over by a boat and died as a result of the injuries. Here is a picture of a guide feeding the turtle, and below an article by San Pedro Sun on the efforts of the Hol Chan Marine Reserve to discourage operators and guides to feed marine life as it changes their natural behavior. |
Conch Graveyard |
under construction
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Turtle Spot - Silk Cayes
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"My wife and I went on a little snorkeling trip in Belize. The guides said "don't touch the sea turtles." She took that to mean even when one is about to bite the mask right off your face! No sea-life or people we're harmed in this clip." FEB 2016
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Sharks & Rays |
At Shark Ray Alley it is permitted to feed marine life, but some guides also handle the sharks (and rays) and invite their guests to also touch the wildlife.
Recently nurse sharks became protected. Is feeding OK, but touching and handling not OK? Or is both feeding and handling/touching not OK? If feeding and touching are OK at Shark Ray Alley, should it be ok to feed and touch at other sites? |
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