Karaoke Heating Up!

The Reef Radio held yet another round of karaoke last night (Thursday) and the competition is getting tighter. September 17th will be the final showdown, where last night's winners: Jaime Manzano and Letty Hernandez will be participating.

Prime Minister of Belize's father passes

(GOB Press Release) - The Government of Belize expresses deepest condolences to Prime Minister Hon. Dean Barrow and his entire family on the passing of the Prime Minister's father, Mr. Arthur Innes Barrow.
He was this morning admitted to the Medical Associates Hospital in Belize City suffering from a stroke, and died shortly after noon today.

Mr. Arthur Barrow was 85 years old. Funeral arrangements will be announced later.

Again, our deepest condolences to Prime Minister Hon. Dean Barrow and family on the passing of his father.

The San Pedro Sun also extends their sincerest condolences to PM Hon. Dean Barrow and family.

BTIA national to conduct anti-crime meetings

The Belize Tourism Industry Association, mindful that crime bears a negative impact on doing business in tourism, continues to advocate for initiatives that seek to combat crime.

In light of this, BTIA national is commencing a series of destination meetings to discuss the state of crime in the areas with a view to present recommendations for fighting crime in the locales.

The first in a series of such meetings will be in San Pedro for Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker. The meeting is slated for Friday, September 4, 2009 at Sun Breeze Hotel at 3:00p.m to discuss crime in Caye Caulker and 5:00 to discuss crime in San Pedro.

Recognizing the seriousness of our concerns, on hand we expect: the CEO Ministry of National Security; the Commissioner of Police; the Head of TPU Unit; the Director of Tourism or Director Product Development; the CEO or representative of Min of Tourism; and the NICH representative for Park or Attraction security.

Please come and voice your concerns.

Robbery leaves two injured

The San Pedro Sun has confirmed with San Pedro Police that at least two persons received gunshot wounds following an armed hold-up on Pearl Street in the San Pablo Area. Sometime between 9:30 and 9:45pm, September 1st, 2009, two masked men stormed into Espinosa's Store and held up shop attendant, Juan Jose Lopez and security guard Alvaro Ramos.

Alvaro Ramos

Juan Jose Lopez

According to an eyewitness, who was in the general building at the time, a struggle ensued during the hold up and several shots were fired. As a result, Lopez was shot in the face, while Ramos was shot in the back. He is listed in a critical condition, whilst Lopez has been pronounced in stable condition.
Both men were airlifted to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital (KHMH) around 11:30pm for further treatment. No-one has been arrested, but Police have launched an intensive search in the general area, and residents are being questioned.

ACES Saves Crocky

ACES Marine Biologist Cherie Chenot-Rose and Mr. Zimmers with captured "Crocky."

Submited by Biologist Cherie Chenot-Rose, ACES/American Crocodile Education Sanctuary -

The morning of August 23rd the American Crocodile Education Sanctuary (ACES) received an e-mail from the Belize Forest Department in regards to a four foot crocodile terrorizing a dog in Placencia. ACES called Mr. Larry Zimmers, who confirmed the crocodile was in his pond in the back yard and he was afraid of it attacking his dog Tina. Offering the means to fund the croc's relocation, Larry requested ACES come right away.

ACES sprang into action. Jumping into their Suzuki and loaded with croc gear, Vince and Cherie raced to the Hokey Pokey Water Taxi in Mango Creek. Reaching just in time, the boat was already full of people and about to leave dock when they squeezed in with all their gear and a thawing chicken. At the dock in Placencia they were met by Norm, a local Belizean who offered to drive them to Larry’s.

Upon reaching the pond, Larry and his friend Lou where searching for ‘Crocky.’ Call it a croc sense, but Crocky seemed to know that ACES was there to catch him and the stealthy crocodile was hiding. Not able to resist the deliciously rotting chicken that ACES had brought along, it wasn’t but minutes before Crocky had poked his head up for a bite. Instantly Vince snared him with his homemade ‘croc catcher’. Armed with nothing but a PVC tube that has a rope through it forming a noose, when slipped over a crocodile’s nose and around the neck, Vince can handle up to a 6 foot croc by himself. Crocky was caught, tied up and ready to travel in less then an hour.

While kicking back with the traditional ice cooled Belikin after a successful capture, we all watched Tina the dog bark her revenge to Crocky. Larry then drove Vince, Cherie and Crocky back to the Hokey Pokey Water Taxi, who kindly let Crocky, a four foot female Morelet’s crocodile, ride in the back of the boat for free. Back in Mango Creek, they paid the nice man who watches the cars and buckled up Crocky in the back seat of the car for the trip south to PG.

Upon reaching ACES thirty-six acre wildlife sanctuary on the Rio Grande River, Crocky received a complete health inspection and was released into a natural holding facility. With the ever increasing human-croc conflicts, ACES is currently over-run with Morelet’s, freshwater crocodiles. This particular croc will be desensitized to humans while at ACES and eventually be re-released into the wild at one of Belize’s National Forests. Thanks to the quick response of Wildlife Officer Rasheda Sampson of the Belize Forest Department, this croc-human conflict was resolved without harm or injury to either human or crocodile. Morelet’s Crocodiles are protected under the Belize Wildlife Protection ACT (Chapter 220) and considered vulnerable with only an estimated 10,000 to 20,000 left World-wide. ACES would like to give a special Thank You to Larry Zimmers for his donation in Taking a Bite Out of Extinction!

For more information about ACES please visit their website at http://www.americancrocodilesanctuary.org/