Numerous Activities to Commemorate Sharon Matola Day

The second annual Sharon Matola Day will feature a series of activities, including free entrance to the zoo from eight-thirty a.m. and three p.m. and then later in the night, there will be a gala event celebrating forty years of existence of the Belize Zoo and Tropical Education Center. During the event, a scholarship will also be issued to a lucky candidate. Zoo Director Celso Poot explains.

Celso Poot

Celso Poot, Director, Belize Zoo

“We had Neo the river otter who reached us as an orphan. He got imprinted, couldn’t be released back into the wild and we recently built Neo a world class home and Jeff will be debuting Neo tomorrow to the Belizean public. It is free of charge between eight-thirty and three. What we have in the evening is celebrating forty years of the Belize Zoo and the Tropical Education Center. We’re having the wild tales dinner so we will have people like Jeff telling wild tales about the Belize Zoo and we are also trying to find the next trailblazer in conservation. We have identified a candidate that will be receiving the first ever Sharon Matola Conservation Scholarship and that young lady will be joining us along with Sharon’s brother and sister to receive that award. It is up to the tune of ten thousand Belize dollars and we will be using that towards her tuition at one of the local universities. It’s a big celebration; we are looking back at the past and also looking at the future – where we are heading and where we are leading in terms of conservation of wildlife and the natural resources of Belize.”