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Crocs killed by human hands

On Saturday, The San Pedro Sun received information of a crocodile’s carcass found south of San Pedro. Photos of the carcass were taken and submitted to Chenot-Rose who determined that the carcass was only a few weeks old. The crocodile was missing its head since there was no sign of a cranium, snout or teeth on the carcass. Chenot-Rose states, “A croc’s head is next to impossible to remove from the carcass as the hide is fused to the cranium plate; and, the photo showed a clean cut at the jaw line. This was only done by human hand.”

On Saturday, July 19th, members of American Crocodile Endangered Sanctuary (ACES) and Belize Forestry Department were in San Pedro working on relocating crocodiles from the lake across from Banyan Bay. Along with the three hundred pound eight foot two inches adult female, ACES managed to relocate a two foot eight inch crocodile which was found in the DFC Area. The crocodile was named Rodney and transported back to ACES headquarters in Punta Gorda. ACES discovered that the DFC homeowner, who caught Rodney, did so by placing a stick in its mouth which caused damage to the palatal valve. ACES directors decided to keep Rodney under their care until it healed and then planned on releasing it in the Rio Grande River. However, last Thursday, Rodney unexpectedly died and a necropsy was carried out to determine the cause of death.

During the necropsy six inches of fishing line were found lodged in the animal’s throat.

At the end of the line, there was a two inch fishing hook wedged into the animal’s stomach.

According to Biologist Cherie Chenot-Rose, Executive Director of ACES, the hook and fishing line was, “without a doubt the cause of the crocodile’s death. We must continue our efforts to educate the public and relocate those crocodiles in danger of being harmed. FINES NEED TO BE ENFORCED. Read more in Thursdays issue of The San Pedro Sun.

Kenyon Martin hosts Basketball Exhibition

Power Forward for the Denver Nuggets, Kenyon Martin or known as “K-mart” on the basketball court made an extra special visit to Belize City for the first time to lend support in the first ever Belize Hip Hop for Peace Basketball exhibition at the City Center. The Sun was on hand to catch all the highlights!

Kenyon Martin strikes a pose for our cameras!

Fans taking time out for an autograph and pictures.

The TigerSharks proved once again why they were crowned champions as they defeated the sub-champions Belize Bank Bulldogs in a re-match on Saturday at the City Center.

K-Mart's autographed tennis shoe and Nuggets Jersey that he wore in the playoffs were raffled.

K-Mart meet and greets the TigerSharks roster after the game.

This young guy gets hoisted up by K-mart to make the shot.

Singer/Rapper Trina (girlfriend) and Kenyon Martin's presence were a treat to all. Read more on Thursdays edition of The San Pedro Sun!

Fundraiser for Peter 4!

A bunch of friends and supporters of Peter 4 convened at the Crazy Canucks Beach Bar on Saturday evening in an effort to raise funds for Peter's medical treatment. Here are some highlights!

Robert entertains the crowd with his pet cockatoo.

Caroline on the grill dishing out the best finger licking barbeque.

Peter 4 needs help to seek medical attention.

Drummer Dan went around collecting change for the cause.

Derrick displays the bass guitars that he constructed himself made out of original Belizean woods.

Saga Society flea market

On Sunday, residents an friends of the Saga Society stopped by at the Central Park for San Pedro’s biggest yard sale - a first ever flea market to raise money for saga society! It all started at 9am and all through the day raffles were drawn where lots of great prizes and many cool free stuff were given out. Here are some highlights.

San Pedro Fundraisers a success!

Over the sunny weekend several fundraising drives took place at different parts of the island. The Wish Foundation and The Saga Society held their fundraiser at the Central Park. The Wish foundation raised funds in order to garner enough money to send kids to elementary school, they are based out of Belize City but will have countrywide application for any student that wishes to attend school.

Surprise Dennis!

It was Dennis' birthday yesterday and it was celebrated in style with a Surprise Party thrown in his honor at BC's Bar.

Dulce Wolfe, Karen and Cheryl prepare the food while BC's patrons and Dennis' friends wait for the birthday boy to arrive.
Surprise Dennis! Happy Birthday!!! Friends help Dennis move his music equipment to the bar.

Everyone wished Dennis a Happy Birthday! Yum ...
With Dennis playing on the background, some chose to dance the night away.
Rich, Verne and Dennis
"Happy Birthday Dennis, here is your present."
Smile for the camera girls.

More Costa Maya Beauties!

Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Panama join the roster for La Reina De La Costa Maya Beauty Pageant, 2008!

Miss Guatemala Universe 2008 will be representing her country at the International Costa Maya Festival. Miss Jennifer Chiong recently returned from the Miss Universe pageant in Vietnam and is bringing all her experience to the Reina de la Costa Maya pageant. Miss Guatemala is 25 years old and stands at 5’ 5”. Currently she is a business woman who enjoys modeling and traveling and she aspires to be the owner and manager of an international modeling agency in Guatemala.

Nicaragua’s beauty ambassador for the Costa Maya Festival 2008 is 18 year-old Karina Gordon. She is a 5’6” tall model who is both beauty and brains, as she pursues her degree in Public Contracting and Finances Management. Miss Nicaragua intends to graduate with honors especially in her finances courses. For her, an education is very important for a young woman to obtain because it opens the door for many wonderful opportunities. Miss Nicaragua enjoys reading, modeling, and spending time with family and friends.

Natalia Soledad Ruiz Alvarez is the fourth delegate to accept participation in this year’s International Reina de la Costa Maya Pageant. The 20-year-old beauty stands at six feet one inch tall and was born on March 19th, 1988 in Tuxtla, Chiapas. She is currently a student working on her Master’s in Tourism and enjoys swimming as a sport, while her hobbies include shopping, modeling and reading terror books, as well as novels. Natalia’s motto for life is, "If you want, you can," and she could. Last year, she was crowned Nuestra Belleza Chiapas 2007 but said that, according to her, her biggest body flaw is her butt, laughing while she states the comment. The body parts that she loves most about herself are her face and legs. Natalia is a down to earth young lady who loves spending time on the Internet and believes that it was the greatest invention in the 20th Century. With much charisma, glamour and beauty, Natalia plans to give the rest of the delegates "a run for their money" as she proudly represents The Land of Tequila, Mexico.

Daniella Maria Augspurg Jimenez is a 17-year-old blonde, green-eyed beauty hailing from El Salvador. She is the fifth contestant to confirm her participation for the Costa Maya Pageant. She is currently in her last year of high school, looking to further her studies and become an excellent psychiatrist. She enjoys reading, singing and kick-boxing, and is especially proud of her awards for her performance in the school choir and for her participation in science fairs. This reading buff counts Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Isabel Allende and Paulo Coellho among her favorite authors. Daniella looks forward to representing her beloved El Salvador, a country she believes is truly impressive with its wealth of natural beauty and culture; a place she is so proud to call home.

For the first time since the inception of La Reina de La Costa Maya, we have a Panama delegate. Anais Solis is a 22-year-old, 5 foot, five inches tall brunette. She is currently studying Business Administration. Her hobbies are dancing and having fun. She was crowned at Miss Realmente Bella, Señorita Panama 2008, a "reality show" inspired by the hit show "America's Next Top Model" that was created to select the Panama delegate to the Miss Universe 2008 pageant. We welcome her to Belize and wish her the best of luck!
For more on the International Costa Maya Festival history, photos, schedule of events and more, visit their website!

Ticket prices are as follows:

La Reina De La Costa Maya (Thursday) Adults: $25.00BZD Children: $15.00BZD

Opening Gala / Mega Concert (Friday) Adults: $25.00BZD Children: $15.00BZD

Noche Internacional (Saturday)Adults: $75.00BZD Children: $25.00BZD

A Night for the Family (Sunday)Adults: $25.00BZD Children: $15.00BZD

Season Pass (Valid for all four nights)Adults: $100.00BZD Children: $45.00BZD

Hot off the Press!

Keep informed - The San Pedro Sun is hot off the press, so get your copy today!

Available at your local stores countrywide.

This week's issue, July 24th, 2008. Vol 18 #29

Monkey business!

On Saturday while The San Pedro Sun was busy assisting the ACES crew with relocating the crocodile, police officers responded to a report of an animal disturbance at a resort down south. Reports claim that on Saturday July 19th, a tourist by the name of Laura Sutton was attacked and bitten by a monkey reportedly belonging to Marina’s Grocery in San Pedro Town. Sutton received numerous bite marks to both arms, along with several scrapes and scratches for which she got medical treatment. Sutton was not the only victim as the monkey also attacked Belizean American Lisa Ali at the Banyan Bay facilities. Ali was treated for wounds to her left leg and received nine stitches. When The Sun arrived at the scene at Banana Beach on Saturday, Pancho, the monkey was suspended on the verandah of the resort where an individual was trying to coerce the monkey to come down. After several futile attempts, a ploy to attract the monkey with food and then trap it with a cloth went awry as the monkey hissed at him signaling another attack. After it was becoming too much of a nuisance, the police decided to take matters into their own hands and struck the monkey on the head hoping that it would knock him out, instead the blow proved to be fatal as Pancho succumbed to his injuries.

Beware!

Come on little guy, i won't hurt you!

Several attempts to get him down proved futile.

Pancho was convinced that he was the ruler of that porch and no one would get him down.

Placing a cloth over Pancho to capture it failed miserably also.

Feeding Pancho a snack to calm him down.

Swinging away like monkeys do, not a care in the world.