Earlier this month, the Ministry of Infrastructure Development and Housing issued a stop order to halt construction on Cayo Rosario near Ambergris Caye. This action came after San Pedro residents raised concerns about the potential harm to marine life and the integrity of the seabed. The stop order will remain in effect until all necessary permits are obtained from the Central Building Authority and other relevant agencies. U.D.P. Senator Designate Gabriel Zetina, who is a resident of San Pedro, expressed his commitment to protecting the area. He criticized the government for allowing such developments to continue in Belize without proper oversight. Zetina emphasized the importance of safeguarding the environment and ensuring that all construction projects comply with regulations.
Gabriel Zetina
Gabriel Zetina, U.D.P. Senator Designate
“The government believes that destroying these flats will go unnoticed or unchallenge, they’re mistaken. The people of San Pedro, the people of Ambergis Caye and I invite all Belizeans everywhere. We will push back. Against the government if they allow this to happen because we’re seeing a government, this government that listens to developers or should I say, they listen to a public of one and not to its people, the people that elected them. We see a government that says one thing to the public, but does another behind closed doors. We see a government that is willing to risk our future for short-term gains, and we see a government that stays silent. They have no, they have given us no accountability, no answers whatsoever, and this is simply unacceptable. We demand transparency. We demand a government that will release all the documents, all the contracts, and all the environmental assessments related to this project. They asked me to write a proposal. I’m not gonna be kind to this government.”
Each year, the National Agriculture and Trade Show Committee selects a woman farmer of the year. This person needs to meet a list of criteria to even be considered for the prestigious recognition. Noemi Requena is the committee’s pick for 2025 and as we found out, she did not only meet the requirements but surpassed them. Requena, as we learned, is a full-time manager of a business, but for the past several years, she has been successfully juggling full-time employment with diversified farming, voluntarily training young farmers in sustainable farming techniques, while still looking after her family. She was happy to give us a tour of her farm when we visited on Saturday. News Five’s Marion Ali reports.
Noemi Requena
Noemi Requena, Woman Farmer of the Year, 2025
“Compost material – what I do, I practice a lot of composting, so I make my own compost.”
Marion Ali, Reporting
Noemi Requena of Punta Gorda is this year’s Woman Farmer of the Year. She attained that recognition by farming and managing a three-acre plot of land on an eight-acre ranch in Cattle Landing Village, a few miles out of the town. We visited Requena on Saturday, which was coincidentally her birthday. We found her busily caring for the crops and animals that she grows there.
Noemi Requena
“We would come early in the morning, sometimes at five in the morning and we start to water our plants. After finishing the watering, we feed our chickens, then our pigs, ensure the animals all the feed and water they need. We would harvest what needs to be harvested, then we start preparing beds to put in a new crop, different than what we had there.”
Requena farms on a three-acre plot of land, but she has an impressive line of crops that she harvests there.
Noemi Requena
“We have coconuts, plantain, banana, okra, tomato, I have protein banks for my livestock. I have the nacedero and I have the mulberry bank. I have sweet potato – the two varieties.”
The system of farming Requena uses is called “mixed farming,” rotating the spots.
Marion Ali
“Why is it important to rotate?
Noemi Requena
“Because the different crops that we have draw different amounts of nutrients from the soil. So you don’t want to be using the same nutrients on the same crop. For example, where I harvested corn, I’m going to plant beans. Why, because beans gives back legume nitrogen to our soil. If we give back the nutrients to our soil, we can use the same area over and over.”
This type of farming does not only keep the soil nutrient-rich but also promotes space efficiency.
Noemi Requena
“I constantly hear people say “Oh, I don’t have land. We need ten acres; we need 150 acres.” In my opinion and experience, we can produce food and make an income out of a small area, as I have.”
For her, the added income from her farm helps to educate her three children. The 2025 Woman Farmer of the Year is assisted by her common-law husband, Evan Williams, who also has a full-time job elsewhere. We found him plowing when we showed up and asked him thereafter to explain that process to us.
Evan Williams
Evan Williams, Common-law husband, Noemi Requena
“That job is necessary to aerate the soil and then loosen up the soil. So, the plants have no struggle getting it roots down, anchoring itself. We are preparing for yams. It’s better known as purple yams; iIt’s a tumor; it bears the fruit under the ground, so that’s why we are plowing the place, so if the soil is more loose, we get a bigger yield.”
About ten years ago, Requena earned a scholarship to take an agriculture course in the U.S. That was where she learned the basics of efficiently using the intercropping technique. Now she uses what she has learned to teach others during whatever spare time her full-time job, the family, and farming allows. A part of the farm system that Requena uses is solar-powered irrigation.
Noemi Requena
“We have a solar powered well, so we have two solar panels that pump our water from the well spot to the farm. And we have a small generator that gives us the pressure to be able to water our plants.”
Like with every other farmer, there are challenges that Requena faces. She must constantly find a way to naturally eliminate pests and to create proper drainage. And she uses all organic fertilizers that she also makes. A plus for her is that she uses pepper and cassava she harvests to make value-added products, such as pepper sauces and cassava dough. It is these kinds of efficient farming practices that the Director of Extension at the Ministry of Agriculture, Andre Mejia, told us impressed the judges who selected her for the award. He says Requena satisfied the rigorous criteria.
Andrew Mejia
Andrew Mejia, Director of Extension, Ministry of Agriculture
“The judges go there, they ask questions to ensure that that is the actual farmer. No one can be a farmer of the year if they’re not the actual farmer, or if the crops on the ground are not for them. The criteria calls that she must be making a percentage of income from the farm and what she wowed the judges with is all the activities that she has going on.”
Noemi Requena
“I want us to use this platform to encourage other females that yes, we can do whatever we put our minds to, and I relate it to us being mothers to care for the little plants. We are mothers, we care for our babies, and that is what our plants need. We transplant them with care, we see them grow and they give us fruit, food, which is life.”
Noemi Requena will be presented with her prizes as Woman Farmer of the Year at the National Agriculture and Trade Show, set for May 30, 31 and June 1. Reporting for News Five, I’m Marion Ali.
On Saturday, a bush fire in Hattieville Village turned tragic, burning down a small home and claiming the life of its owner. The victim, sixty-three-year-old Gerald Hamilton, was a friend, neighbor, and employee of Godwin Smith. Smith told News Five that Hamilton had helped put out a bush fire in the morning but felt sick afterward and went to lie down. Unfortunately, when another bush fire spread to Hamilton’s house early that afternoon, no one realized he was still inside. The fire quickly engulfed the home, and when villagers checked the scene, Hamilton was already dead. Godwin Smith, who was a close friend of Hamilton, shared this heartbreaking story.
Godwin Smith
Godwin Smith, Friend of Deceased
“My oldest son is forty-three years old, and he mind him from baby. I was living in Gracie Rock and he was there with me. I come here and we met here. So every day he come at my house, we sit down out there just to wait to see when he get in at his house. He out a first fire then apparently he went in his house. He went in the house and the car. He tell my daughter he feel bad and he went in the house. So. my place start catch over there and my daughter went over there. When he went over there, my son called from Belize and tell the wife to come and hail Gerald mek Gerald help her out the fire. But when they come here, the door was open and the bike was there and they only knock on the wall and we hail Gerald but Gerlad nuh answer, so they said Gerald mussi gone. So when I come, immediately I come and I help them out there. When I start helping them out there, then somebody passed by, one truck passed by and tell wi look, one house di burn down here. So I left the hog pen di burn and when I run come here, my daughter tell me Gerlad bike was there too. And then I tell ah definite if Gerald bike there, then Gerald in the house. The house was burned down. When I look, I see another fire sparks open when I look there, I see Gerald head and I see a pelvis. That’s why I call some people and say a body is down here. Gerald’s body is down here.”
The wooden structure was small, measuring just fifteen-by-ten feet, but losing hisfriend is what really hurts Smith. He shared that Hamilton was always willing to run errands for anyone in the village. Now, the community is planning a candlelight vigil for Tuesday night to honor him. Smith is also appealing for water bowsers to be placed in villages prone to bush fires. This idea is currently being considered by the National Fire Service Belize District Station Officer, Gladstone Bucknor.
Godwin Smith, Friend of Deceased
“This is a major loss. This is hurtful. But like I say, I send message to the village of them and I ask them to please “Whenever, when a light a fire, unu try to protect it, because no use of saying dehn da bush fire and da fire weh people light. I ask – mek wa appeal to the village council and say, for five years I di lobby, at least we could get wa water truck go at the police station. At least when we call the police, they got some kind of equipment fi help wi because the distance ah weh the fire truck deh, when they come, with dehn kinda leaf ya the place done burn down, but if you have a water bowser, the police could save life and house.”
Gladstone Bucknor
Gladstone Bucknor, Station Officer, Belize District
“The guy went out, they were outing bushfires at the time. He was fatigued, he went inside and he was sleeping and we don’t – well, the investigator hasn’t come back and said, “Yes, that the fire actually run towards the building and started the fire. The department along with the Ministry they’re looking into putting in fire stations throughout the villages, particularly Hattieville and probably through Boom area. They’re looking at that. I haven’t confirmed us yet, but that’s one of the main areas they’re looking at. Bushfires actually cause a lot of damage, especially – you can remember the one in PG just by bushfire alone, cause so many damages.”
Earlier today, we heard from Jason Altschaft, the Chairman of Gales Point Village, as the community came together to catch a pig that had tragically killed one of the villagers. Altschaft, who has served two terms as Chairman, is not eligible to run for a third term. He shared with News Five that the role is incredibly demanding and often offers no relief. Although he won’t be sitting in the chairman’s seat anymore, he might still serve as a councilor to support the new leader. The date for the village council elections hasn’t been set yet, but the season is fast-approaching, and Altschaft is ready to lend his support to whoever steps up.
Jason Altschaft, Chairman, Gales Point Village
“I did two terms. It’s very challenging, very hard, a lot of stress and everything is on you. And when you reach out for help, a lot of times you just have to tell people, “I’m sorry, there’s no help,” and I don’t like that. I’m now on the DAVCO and we’re trying to make it more of a thing for rural communities to get more money, so that there would be opportunities to make things done correctly. We all want the right thing, but the ways and means are not always there, but you still have desire and ganas to try.”
Throughout April, our weekly Belize on Reel segments have been spotlighting longstanding businesses across the country. We’ve featured enterprises in Belize City, San Ignacio, and Punta Gorda. Tonight, we head north to Orange Walk to highlight Zeta Auto Parts, a business born from the Escalante family’s pivot from public transportation and ice production. With a second branch now in western Belize, the company is led by a third-generation family businessman. News Five’s Paul Lopez sat down with him and a long-standing employee to learn how they’ve thrived over the years and met their customers’ needs. Here’s that report.
Paul Lopez, Reporting
Three years before Belize gained independence, the Escalante family in Orange Walk Town founded Zeta Auto Parts. Before venturing into auto parts retail, they ran Escalante’s Bus Line and later launched Zeta Ice Factory. Today, thirty-one-year-old Adriel Escalante Jr., a third-generation businessman, is the general manager of Zeta Auto Parts.
Adriel Escalante
Adriel Escalante, General Manager, Zeta Auto Parts
“It all started with my family running the Escalante Bus Line. Eventually the family decided to venture into ice and water business. They have sixty-four years running the business. Then some years passed and that is when they decided to open the Zeta Auto Parts in Town. I would say I was like eight or ten years I started to go with my dad, seeing how my dad worked with the auto parts business and then I said, I enjoyed it.”
Pedro Garcia is Zeta Auto Parts’ longest-serving employee, having been with the company for over two decades. He joined after leaving another auto parts business in town and recalls a time when Zeta Auto Parts was the only game in town for auto parts retail.
Pedro Garcia
Pedro Garcia, Employee, Zeta Auto Parts
“I came to Zeta and I asked for a job and because I already had knowledge on parts it was easy for me. The customer is our number one priority. They come in and we try to give them the best service. They offer things that they would need, not just on the parts they are buying. We try to tell them you need this along with that. Sometimes mechanics send them and tell them just get that and they have to come back. So we try to tell them what would work along with other parts so that they could take it with them first.”
At Zeta Auto Parts, the hustle never stops. During our visit, customers were constantly coming and going. Fifteen years ago, the business moved from Main Street to its current location on Liberty Avenue, expanding storage to offer more products and meet new customer demands. Despite competitors with larger inventories opening up in town, Zeta has maintained its edge thanks to its longstanding reputation.
Adriel Escalante
“This property was owned by my uncle and he passed it own to my grandfather. We are here now at sixty-four Liberty Avenue. I saw it growing. I remember all my past employees and how the business was. It has been growing ever since. Now we decided to open a branch in the Cayo District. We are located in San Ignacio Town. Now, we are also going to expand in another location as well. I won’t say where. It is just coming soon. We have customers throughout the country, Corozal, Belize City, Cayo, down south.”
Pedro Garcia
“I have customers from when I was in Belize with the other company. I come this side and they still call. I have been dealing with them for over nineteen years. They just glad that they could call me and when they need parts I find parts for them. The company is still growing. I heard the boss say they want to expand. I will be here until I can.”
Zeta Auto Parts has thrived since the late Seventies on three key pillars: family legacy, dedicated employees, and customer satisfaction. Sugarcane farmers, a significant part of their customer base, benefit from the store’s strategic location. Adriel Escalante emphasizes that for Zeta Auto Parts to continue thriving for another five decades, they must constantly evolve and meet the changing needs of their customers.
Adriel Escalante
“We are looking to expand and this year we are going to bring more products and we are going to expand our inventory and also along the way we are going to have mechanical services that we are going to offer to our customers as well. We have to keep updated with a lot of things, as technology is growing. We have to stay, how you say it, “top ah things”.
Earlier this week, tragedy struck Caye Caulker when a local resident, Japy Perez Senior, originally from Toledo, died after being attacked by a swarm of bees on a farm. Perez was working alongside others when the bees suddenly swarmed, stinging him multiple times. Sadly, he succumbed to the stings shortly after. With bees being particularly active this time of year, it’s crucial to know how to handle them. Today, News Five’s Britney Gordon shares tips on dealing with a bee swarm on your property. Here’s the story.
Britney Gordon, Reporting
It’s harvest season, and bees are buzzing around, busy making honey for their hives. While these little pollinators are crucial for Belize’s agriculture and honey industry, their stings can be dangerous, especially for those with allergies. Beekeeper Elise Vernon advises that the key to handling bees is to stay calm and avoid panicking when you encounter them.
Elise Vernon, Beekeeper
“ When you panic, you tend to wave your arms, and you tend to run away and you everything goes wrong when you panic. The thing that you should do is stay calm. Try not to make a lot of noise and try not to create a lot of sudden movements. Sudden movements tend to get them more aggressive. They get to be more angered, and that way they come out to you even more.”
Bees can nest in just about anything. Today, Elise was called in by her neighbor Kenroy Jex, who discovered bees in an old appliance in his yard.
Kenroy Jex, Homeowner
“I believe dey mi deh there like wa year. So I get the chopman fi chop the roadside for me, and he bring it to my attention. And I fi mi call Elise from then, but weh I have so much work to do with it slip my mind. So I finally tell her yesterday when Ih come ya. So she say she was come here two o’clock and take care of it fi me”
Jex does mechanical work on his property, so the constant flow of bees has been bothersome to deal with. He also worries about the safety of his animals.
Kenroy Jex
“Dog and cow. And horse. So the horse and the cow, they always come around, so you know what, they sting the house and the cow. So I have to make a least come and deal with ney.”
After suiting up, Vernon gathered her supplies to smoke out the bees. She explained that the smoke tricks the bees into thinking there’s a forest fire, shifting their focus from the person trying to remove them to the young bees at risk inside the hive. Vernon also emphasized that the best way to remove bees is by locating the queen.
Elise Vernon
“We look for the queen first. That is the most important thing because once the queen is in the box, the entire hive tends to follow. So that’s the most complicated thing, especially in harvest season because there can be up to eighty thousand bees in a box. And finding one queen in eighty thousand bees can be quite difficult. But she does look a little bit different, so I can find her, once I find her, I put her in the box in a secure area and I start removing whatever wax they have in there with honey, with pollen, whatever they have in there, I start to remove that and put it into the box as well. And then I leave the box there for the day and then I come back in the evening so that all the other bees that are out getting their pollen and honey, they can return home. And once I know that all the bees are in there for the night, I can move it to my farm.”
Vernon shared some helpful tips for those dealing with stings.
Elise Vernon
“So I get stung once or twice through the suit, but typically I don’t. But overall, if you do get stung, something that we tend to tell other people is to always keep a couple pills of charcoal on hand. Charcoal tends to help to pull out that toxin and relieve the pain that you’re experiencing. You can also take an antihistamine if you get stung.”
Vernon advises removing stingers from the body as they release pheromones. Alerting the hive of a potential threat.
Elise Vernon
“If they are chasing you, run in a straight line to the safest place. So if you have acar that you can run to that is enclosed, run to the car and drive away. If you can go into a house or a shelter and lock up, that’s fine as well. Never ever jump in a pond or a pool because if you go to the bottom and you think that they’re going to fly away and then you can come back up, you are wrong. They wait at the surface for you, and so you could be down there for five minutes and they will be right up there waiting for you.”
Two days ago, we reported on a fire at the Cayo transfer station facility. While the blaze didn’t halt garbage collection, it significantly slowed down operations. Although the fire has been extinguished, smoldering trash underneath is still being doused to prevent reignition. Today, San Ignacio Mayor Earl Trapp informed us that there’s still a delay in offloading garbage at the facility. We spoke with Rojelio Pop, Operations Manager of Belize Solid Waste Management, who explained that aside from the fire, space constraints at the facility are causing additional issues.
Rojelio Pop
On the Phone: Rojelio Pop, Operations Manager, BSWAMA
“Once we have charred or burned materials on the ground, it is a highly – what would be the best word – improper. Yes. It’s not logical for us to place any more waste on the compound, so until we can finalize that the fire is completely out, there’s no sort of embers, there’s nothing that can trigger an outbreak of the fire, then we’ll completely push all that waste down the hill, cover it with clay, so that it’s fully contained, then we can resume taking more waste. Currently, we have capabilities to manage right now because the compound isn’t clear. Thirdly, the transfer station has a certain capacity, and right now for it to work as it should, it cannot be overfilled. Right now it’s overwhelmed with waste because San Ignacio produces a lot of waste and then you combine it with other communities, Benque, other private providers, the system is so small that the capacity is overwhelmed easy. So the machines cannot go into the transfer station and for them to load from the chute, the machines have to go into the transfer station, they have to have maneuverability. That doesn’t exist currently. So really it’s about capacity. There are many challenges that the contractor is facing. So, it’s multifaceted, but even with that, if we push all of that chart burned waste from where it is right now and clear the component, and we – my aim would be to clear that off by next week, then we would be able to place more waste. And yes, we would not see behind the curtains of what is actually occurring because there’s that lingering problem with the contractual issues. That is a long-term problem. I’m not sure we are going to address that within a short period of time, but we would be able to place more incoming waste onto the compound because it will be safe, but the problem would still persist.”
The Ministry of Agriculture has announced its 2025 Farmers of the Year, just in time for the National Agriculture and Trade Show. These awards celebrate farmers for their dedication to food security and innovative practices. Today, we visited San Lazaro Village to chat with the Junior Farmer of the Year, twenty-five-year-old Juan Carillo. Juan dropped out of high school at fifteen to help with the family farm. At eighteen, he left to try another job, but less than a year ago, his younger brother convinced him to return as a business partner. Now, the Carillo brothers are making waves in the agriculture sector. News Five’s Paul Lopez has the story.
Paul Lopez, Reporting
Twenty-five-year-old Juan Carillo from San Lazaro has snagged the title of 2025 Junior Farmer of the Year. Carillo and his two brothers oversee more than a hundred acres of farmland in their village.
Juan Carillo
Juan Carillo, Junior Farmer of the Year
“What we do here is plant vegetables and work with the livestock also. I get into farming since I was twelve years old. I started farming with my dad. He left and I left too. I came back when I was fifteen and started on my own. I left studying and did it on my own. I did it for two or three year and one day my little brother called me and said he want to do it again and I said let us do it and here we are working together.”
The brothers have more than twenty sheep on their farm. They are well taken care of, with plenty of land to graze on, and are sold based on demand. When their owner calls out to them, the sheep come forward eagerly. The cows, initially far off, also come running when called.
Paul Lopez
“You said that at the age of fifteen you did not want to continue school anymore.”
Juan Carillo
“I did not like it, so I just drop off.”
Paul Lopez
“What is your thoughts on going to school to learn. Do you feel like you need to go?”
Juan Carillo
“Actually, I don’t feel like I need to go to learn. It is like other students, when they go to study agriculture if they go to study and don’t practice, they don’t know anything.”
Juan’s brother, Amin Carillo, persuaded him to come back to farming less than a year ago. At the time, both brothers lived away from the community. When their grandfather, who originally owned the farm, fell ill, someone needed to step in. Now, Juan and Amin are business partners, working together to keep the family farm thriving.
Amir Carillo
Amir Carillo, Farmer, San Lazzaro
“First of all I give thanks to the lord that we have this opportunity. We have my grandfather and father that teach us how to do agriculture.”
Paul Lopez
“Your brother received the Junior Farmer of the Year Award, but as he pointed out it is a team effort. Talk about how proud you are of him.”
Amir Carillo
“I am proud, because two of us are working good. We don’t argue, we don’t fight. We find this work fun. Sometimes when we are transplanting we said, let us race, who good do it faster.”
The soursop trees produce huge fruits that even the birds can’t resist. To keep the birds away, the brothers placed a pair of sunshades on one of the fruits. They’ve harvested over a thousand pounds of tomatoes and hundreds of pounds of cabbage. More than two thousand seedlings are ready for transplanting. Watermelon seedlings are already in the ground, and hundreds of sweet pepper plants are starting to bear vegetables. The farm also grows corn, cucumber, cilantro, and habanero peppers.
Paul Lopez
“What is the hardest thing about this job?”
Juan Carillo
“The hardest thing? Well I don’t think nothing is hard.”
More impressive than the vegetables they grow and the livestock they raise are Juan Carillo’s exceptional record-keeping skills. He meticulously tracks everything they cultivate, all sales to the market, and even anticipates future market needs. Additionally, the brothers’ advanced irrigation system plays a crucial role in their efforts to combat climate change.
Juan Carillo
“For me it is an honor for being the junior farmer of the year and my family is so proud of me.”
Paul Lopez
“What would you say was the main reasons why you got this award?”
Juan Carillo
“A part of the vegetables we have, they were seeing how we work and record keeping too. Like, let us say if you plant cabbage, you plant this amount, and when you sell, you have to see how much you spend, how much you make and from there you will see how much you win or how much you lose.”
Amir Carillo
“If God give us the life and the opportunity, my brother and I, this is our life, we love this so, I don’t think we will quit planting.”
On Tuesday, around thirty false killer whales were spotted inside the Belize Barrier Reef system, raising concerns among marine biologists that the creatures might be lost and stranded. These dolphins, named for their resemblance to killer whales, typically live in the deep blue sea but occasionally appear in our waters, as they did in 2018 and 2024. Fortunately, both times they managed to find their way back without any casualties. Today, two marine biologists ventured offshore near Belize City, hoping to locate the school of false killer whales. The good news? There was no sign of them, giving the biologists hope that the whales have safely navigated back to their natural habitat.
Marion Ali, Reporting
Today, marine biologist Jamal Galves set out to Drowned Caye, about nine miles offshore from Belize City, in search of a school of false killer whales. These dolphins, often mistaken for killer whales, had wandered into the shallow waters of the Belize Barrier Reef. Galves was joined by members of the Belize Fisheries Department and Nicole Auil-Gomez, Country Director of the Wildlife Conservation Society. Upon hearing about the whales’ presence, they were concerned and headed out to sea, with us tagging along.
Jamal Galves
Jamal Galves, Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute
“It’s not an animal that you typically see, especially in coastal waters. It’s known to occupy pelagic, deeper waters a thousand meters in depths. So, for it to be here is very unlikely. It’s not the habitat for it. It’s not where it feeds; it’s not where it used to be. So, there’s cause for alarm.”
False killer whales aren’t common around these shores, so fishermen might not know what to watch for. Marine biologist George Myvett, an expert in fish, gave me some tips on what to look out for.
George Myvett
George Myvett, Marine Biologist
“The killer whale as we know is a kind of black animal with some white features, white on the belly and white lateral spots. The false killer whale has none of those. The false killer whale is really dark with some latitudes of brown, but you know, there’s no mistaking the two species. At times they would be led off course by various things. It could be navigational aids; it could be really some of these animals might be become sick and there’s a kind of leader of the pack and they would follow that leader into areas that are not necessarily native habitat.”
After an hour at sea and checking two spots, no false killer whales were found. This gives Galves hope that the school has safely navigated back through the channel into deeper waters.
Jamal Galves
“They were seen yesterday near the Stake Bank, Drowned Caye areas. By all indications they were headed south. That would lead them to the English Caye Channel, which I presume is where they got into here. We’re hoping once they get into that channel, they’ll be able to figure themselves out. They’re very sharp navigators. If these animals end up beaching that presents a significant problem for us to deal with the carcasses. If the animals are beached and alive, normal interventions would be to try and float them back into sea if they’re alive. Other than that, if it dies, we’ll probably do a necropsy on the animal to determine cause of death. In some cases, these animals are euthanized to avoid suffering, depending on what conditions they are in. But oftentimes it’s not the entire pod that is compromised. It’s usually sometimes one or two animals that are compromised, but due to the tight knit of the pod, they tend to stay together. I’m very much relieved that they weren’t seen and my hope is that they’ve actually made their way out and they’re on their journey.”
What we did spot was a group of local dolphins enjoying the sea. The males were paired up and seemed to be following a female, likely trying to mate. Marion Ali for News Five.
