Oceana Belize "I Love My Reef" YMCA snorkeling

Oceana’s “I Love My Reef” campaign takes Belize City kids snorkeling
Press Release – OCEANA – May 4, 2011 – Oceana in Belize officially kicked off its “I Love My Reef” Campaign on Easter Sunday, April 24 of this year at a San Pedro Beach Party fund raiser, and continued to promote the theme with an incredible snorkeling outing for eighteen Belize City children from the YMCA youth program.

The “I Love My Reef” campaign is intended to promote the beauty of our spectacular Belize Barrier Reef to citizens countrywide, and this group of children and their chaperones were wowed and amazed by the underwater beauty exposed to them by this expedition.

A short boat ride took the future aquanauts first to Sergeant’s Caye, where they were given professional snorkeling instruction by the tour guides, and they hit the water like pros! The guides led the way through the colourful underwater forest, showing the goggled viewers spectacular fish and coral. Then it was off to Goff’s Caye – entrance fees all covered thanks to the Coastal Zone Management Authority (CZMAI) - for a great lunch, and afterwards, more swimming. It was overall a great trip, leaving the now experienced snorkelers blown away with what they saw and experienced. They are all now firsthand proponents of what our Belizean Barrier Reef has to offer, and why it should remain protected.
Oceana is also promoting two “I Love My Reef” contests, which are now open to the public. The first is a poetry contest for children aged 8 to 16, and the other is a song contest on the same theme for individuals 17 years and older. All Belizeans are encouraged to enter these contests, and there will be exciting prizes awarded to the winners. Send us your entries today!
Oceana, founded in 2001, is the largest international organization focused solely on ocean conservation. Our offices in North America, Central America, South America and Europe work together on a limited number of strategic, directed campaigns to achieve measurable outcomes that will help return our oceans to former levels of abundance. We believe in the importance of science in identifying problems and solutions. Our scientists work closely with our teams of economists, lawyers and advocates to achieve tangible results for the oceans.

Hicatee close season

Press Release – Belize Fisheries Department – April 28, 2011 – The Belize Fisheries Department is hereby reminding the general public that the closed season for the fresh water turtle known locally as Hicatee is from May 1st to May 31, 2011.

The Department is also informing all restaurants, food vending establishments and the general public that the purchase or sale of the Hicatee (including its products such as cooked meat) is prohibited under the Fisheries Laws.
The following laws are applicable:
No person shall:

(a) have in his possession more than three such turtles at any one time;
(b) transport on any vehicle more than five such turtles;
(c) fish for such turtles during the period from 1st May to the 31st May inclusive in any year;
(d) fish for females of such turtles greater than 43cm (17.2 in) and smaller than 38cm (15.2 in);
(e) fish for such turtles in any of the areas specified in the Fifth Schedule attached to these Regulations;
(f) Sell or purchase such turtles.

FIFTH SCHEDULE:
Fishing for Hicatee in the following areas is prohibited:
1. Belize River: from Beaver Dam Creek to Labouring Creek;
2. New River: from Irish Creek to Water Bank;
3. Rio Bravo: upstream from Dos Bocas Dam, including Booth’s River;
4. Cox and Mucklehany Lagoons and headwaters of Mussel Creek;
5. Northern and Southern Lagoons and tributaries (Manatee lagoons and Manatee River);
6. Sibun River: between Ferguson Bank and Sibun Bar.

Any person who contravenes any or part of the regulation in relation to the turtle locally known as ‘Hicatee’ commits an offence and shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine of two thousand dollars or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year or to both such fine and imprisonment.

The General Public is advised to call the Fisheries Department Enforcement Section at 224-4552 or 203-2623for clarification or further information.

Notice from SAGA

Press Release - SAGA Humane Society - May 3, 2011 - Saga Humane Society would like to inform the public that its Vet Clinic and Adoption/Surrender Center will be closed for renovations the week of May 2-7, 2011. Ms. Ingrid Lima is also currently in Orlando, Florida receiving continuing education at the Animal Expo with Saga Board Members Ms. Katia Marin and Ms. Heidi Sowards.

Dr. Baptist and Ms. Lima will be able to attend to your animals when the clinic reopens Tuesday, May 10, 2011.

If you have an emergency, please contact San Pedro Animal Hospital at 610-3647, Corozal Veterinary Clinic at 422-2519, or Animal Medical Center in Belize City at 223-3781.

Saga Humane Society thanks the San Pedro community for your continued support.

Saga attends Caribbean Animal Welfare Conference

Press Release – SAGA Humane Society – April 27, 2011 - Katia Marin and Heidi Sowards, two of SAGA’s Directors attended the 2011 Caribbean Animal Welfare Conference in San Juan Puerto Rico. April 3rd - 5th.

The three day conference included different types of humane societies, shelters and rescue groups coming together to talk and share ideas about the great work that they do. There were all kinds of international speakers from St. Thomas, Bahamas and even the Belize Society. Clara Lee Arnold from the Hopkins Humane Society spoke about the changes that have happened in Hopkins since they started bringing vet teams to hold spay and neuter clinics. The topics included ‘Animal Capture and Handling Techniques’, ‘Surveying Roaming Dogs’ Population and Increasing Adoptions’, and ‘Marketing and Fundraising Strategies’, just to mention a few. SAGA would like to thank Clara Lee for donating jewelry, which she and her husband make themselves out of shells.

Katia and SAGA Volunteer Heather Beck also attended the International Association of Canine Professional (IACP) conference in San Diego April 7th - 9th which included speakers Wendy Volhard, Joel Silverman, Jeff King and the main speaker Cesar Millan.

Following the Conference the two volunteered their time at Best Friends Animal Samctuary to work on some dogs at Dog Town Sanctuary. Dog Town is home to dogs rescued after the devastating Hurricane Katrina, and it also houses Michael Vick’s dogs.

Be Kind Belize and the San Pedro Lions Club encourage kids to speak out about kindness

Press Release – Be Kind Belize – April 28, 2011 – Be Kind Belize, the humane education programme, is working with the Lions Club to give children the opportunity to speak out about ‘Kindness in Our Community’.

On the 10th of May at 7pm, children from standards 2, 3 & 4 at Holy Cross Anglican School will have the honour of presenting their own speeches to members of the San Pedro Lions Club.
The speech topic is ‘Kindness in Our Community’. Lions Club members will vote for the best speech and the winner will receive a brand new bicycle.
The children will be required to include answers to several important questions in their speech including: Why is kindness important? Why do some people or animals not receive much kindness? How can kindness change lives? And – What could be done to make San Pedro a kinder place? They will be judged on their presentation skills and creativity.
Be Kind Belize provides training and Educators’ Resource packs, free of charge to any school, humane society, community or individual who wishes to introduce the programme locally.
For more information about Be Kind Belize contact BeKindBelize@gmail.com or call 501-226-4366.