Wildtracks Belize is a wildlife rehabilitation center established in 1990 that focuses on conservation, education, and research. It rehabilitates and releases endangered Yucatan black howler monkeys and spider monkeys, as well as endangered Antillean manatees. The center takes in illegally pets primates and injured wild animals with the goal of releasing them back into the wild. It has over a 97% success rate in rehabilitating and releasing howler monkeys. The center also operates a 1818 acre nature reserve called Fireburn Reserve that is used to release and study rehabilitated howler monkeys and protect local biodiversity.

1. Wildtracks Belize, Sarteneja, Belize
Lilia Trissler
Class of 2016
Davis 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 Arose
o 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