The Community Baboon Sanctuary

In 1985 a biologist persuaded twelve landowners along the Belize River to sign a voluntary pledge to leave forest corridors along the riverbank and field edges rather than clear them, so that black howler monkeys, called baboons in Belizean Creole, could move between patches. It grew to hundreds of landowners across seven villages and it worked: the population recovered strongly and animals from here were translocated to restock Cockscomb. It is a private, voluntary agreement with no legal protection at all, which makes it one of the more interesting conservation models anywhere. Guided walks find troops within minutes.

History

The American primatologist Robert Horwich and Fallet Young, a landowner of Bermudian Landing, set up the sanctuary in 1985 to protect the Yucatán black howler monkey from forest clearing, hunting and farming. It began with twelve landowners who pledged to keep forest on their land and has grown to more than 200 across seven villages of the Belize River valley, a model for community conservation now recognised as an IUCN Category IV protected area (Wikipedia, Community Baboon Sanctuary).

What you'll find

• Black howler monkeys - troops close to the trails, calling at dawn.
• The voluntary model - landowners signing rather than land being bought.
• The riverside corridors - forest strips left along the Belize River.
• The small museum - the story of how the pledge came about.

When to go

December to April is the dry season. Early morning is when the howlers call, which carries for kilometres and is the point of coming. Guided walks run through the day and monkeys are found reliably.

Good to know

The howlers are habituated and guides sometimes encourage close approach and feeding of leaves, which is not good practice; keep your distance. The road in is rough in places. It is a village-based operation rather than a park, and facilities are basic. Half a day covers it.

Nearby

Altun Ha is an hour east; Belize City is an hour southeast.

Key facts