That’s A Croc!

Every so often i have a “Toto, we’re not in Kansas” moment.  These occur a lot when one first moves to Belize, but over time, they are farther and fewer in between.  I live on the Reef, I play on Mayan Temples, I chill out at a private water fall, and I valiantly slay bugs and critters that ‘back in the States’ would have caused me to dash from the house screaming in hysterics.

This past Sunday I had the unique opportunity to have one of those precious “Toto” moments.   I was invited to go along with ACES (American Crocodile Education Sanctuary) as they released a 7′ “problem croc”, and a baby few week old fella named Dov.  Two friends and I jumped on the boat and headed out to the back side of the island, into the lagoons.  As I took my seat, I noticed something…strange under the seat opposite me.

As you drive through the lagoon, the water is only a few inches deep in places, and the draft (how far into the water the boat rests) is only 6 inches.  There are no street signs or buildings. Just mangroves.  Beautiful mangroves protecting the island and all the lee baby fishes 🙂  Vince and Cherie, with Chris on the bow, have navigated these mangroves for the last several years, and shout out directions and water depth to each other in a much practiced melody.

We were releasing a 7 foot croc which ACES had captured earlier that day.  ACES had been called by a mother who lived in San Mateo. This croc lived under her house, and she had small children.  Crocodiles are apex predators, and while this is ‘cool’ to talk about, it’s absolutely terrifying for a mother to hear a croc under the wood shack where her babies sleep.  Chris was filthy from the SAn Mateo water, which is the waste from the plywood houses of the inhabitants.  There is no running water here, and no sewage system.  It’s dangerous water as it is, without the added ‘bonus’ of a hungry crocodile.

We continued through the lagoon, and fortunately, had left earlier than normal.  Had we left at our scheduled time, we all would have been in trouble.  There was an illegal “gill net” stretched across the lagoon.  This is an illegal fishing net.  Our boat’s propeller would have gotten completely tangled in this net.  That concern never escaped anyones lips because it never occurred to us.  Cherie, Vince and Chris were concerned with only one thing:  The two crocs we are about to release will swim directly into that net and die.  So will the bonefish, the turtles, and anything else that is trying to get from one part of the lagoon to another.  Vince and Cherie did not take this lightly.  We phoned Rachel Graham, who is the head of the Belize Shark Project to get advice.  She put us touch with the right person to advise us at the Hol Chan Marine Reserve office after hours.  We were advised to pull up the net.  We did as instructed.  Wow, i just learned a LOT in that whole exchange.

Our adventure continued, as we still had two crocs on the boat.  We reached the desired ‘release location’ as the sun was setting bright pink behind us.  I was permitted to removed the flotation devices that were used to help hold the large croc in it’s spot.  I wanted to remove the croc, but frankly, it was just too big (and sorta scary) for me to do it.  Chris and Vince removed him, and then the science began.  They measured him and scanned him.  At this point, we didnt know if he was a “him”, they had to test for that.  They stick a finger in it’s private parts and feel for the sex organ. I almost wanted to, so i could say i did, but i just couldnt bring myself to finger a croc.

 

 

The American Crocodile is an endangered species, which is truly startling when you consider that they are, quite literally, dinosaurs.  They have remained genetically unchanged for millions and millions of years, yet man has f’d up it’s habitat so badly that WE are killing them off.  Disgraceful.  Cherie and Vince are passionate about researching, documenting, and saving as many as they can.  “0A01544103” had a standard animal microchip inserted a couple years ago.  Cherie explained that in the recent past, they have begun naming the Croc.  You can “ADOPT A CROC” for a $40 usd donation (email me for info).  So, 0A01544103″ had been previously tagged.

This would make a fantastic educational trip for you to take.  Your donation allows you access to the trip i took and to name your own croc.  The fuel, time, equipment, and the boat itself all cost money, so this is a fantastic way to support and learn.

fyi – baby crocs are ridiculously cute…

 

and the grown up ones are really beautiful….