Our first trip of the
day was to the Community Baboon sanctuary. Everyone awoke excited and piled
into the van, but first we needed to get gas before our long drive there. To fill
up the van, it took 290 dollars (Belizean). Gas costs 10.59 per gallon, and when converted
to US dollars, is 5.28 per gallon! Once we arrived at the sanctuary we came
into the museum entrance and waited on our guide. Inside the museum, one wall
was dedicated to Women in Conservation, and it made me so happy to see my
heroes highlighted. I took a picture beside the sign, hoping to one day become
another one of those women in conservation. The museum was interesting, but the
hike and monkey encounters were amazing.
To start off, I’ll go ahead and say that the Baboon
sanctuary doesn’t have baboons. It is a common occurrence here in Belize for
animals to be called by some colloquial term that isn’t what it actually is. Common
names are deceiving that way, but some examples include “Tiger” for all cats in
Belize, “Mountain Cow” for tapirs, “Bamboo chicken” for iguanas, and finally, “Baboon”
for all monkeys. The two types of monkeys that live here in Belize are the
spider monkey and the howler monkey. Howler monkeys have had a good success
rate when they are released back into their natural habitat with efforts on
conserving their land and population. We set out in search of some howler monkeys,
and we were not to be disappointed.
The area surrounding the museum had many hiking trails and
forested areas. Our tour guide was incredibly knowledgeable and explained to us
the natural and ancient uses of the forest. I was amazed at how nature really
does provide everything we need, even without our manipulation. I walked
through the dense, green forest, new smells captivating my nostrils, new sights
striking my eyes, and I breathed a sigh of bliss and healthy life. Everything in
that moment felt right. All my goals since I was a little girl have been
leading to this. Every small and big moment are moving me towards my life in
union with the earth. To be in the jungle and learning was the essence of all I’ve
hoped for. Our guide was a dark skinned man, older, full of intelligence and
calm assurance. He spoke in a creole accent and when he asked someone what
their name was, it came out, “Wadd yeer neyhm?” Hearing his voice was a whole
part of the experience. Some examples of things we learned from him include:
1. You can use the Mahogany tree’s bark in a special way. If
you soak it in warm water and then soak your feet in the red water, you will
obtain a long-lasting coating/stain on the bottom of your feet. However, this
layer will prevent for feet from sweating or smelling as it blocks the pores
for a few weeks.
2. Air roots hang from high in the trees down to the lower
levels of the forest and they are relatively pliable. When you begin to burn
the tip of one, it has a nice smell and will burn until the end of the stick. Air
roots made up the first incense, and was used by the Mayans in their rituals.
3. One really cool symbiosis that I had read about in school
but never seen in life was the bull-horn acacia and the ants that inhabit them.
The large spikes on the tree are hollow, and they are inhabited by ants that
aggressively defend the plant. We popped off one horn and were able to shake
out the larva of the ants inside.
4. In ancient times, people had no true stitches when a
wound needed to be closed. To hold the skin attached, soldier leaf-cutter ants
were attached to the skin, to which they clamped and didn’t let go, and then
the ant’s body was flicked off. Several ants’ pinchers in a row were applied to
hold wounds together until healing occurred and the pinchers fell out of the
skin.
5. A plant called the ‘hotlips’ is used as a natural
medicine when women are pregnant to relieve the symptoms of pregnancy. The flower
is shaped like a certain part of the female’s anatomy, and it is traditionally
believed that plants shaped like body parts help heal those body parts. The flowers
are boiled in water, which is then rubbed over the pregnant stomach to reduce
clotting and pain.
6. Our guide joked that if you want a tattoo, there is no
need to use needles. He picked up a plant from beside the creek, laid it on his
arm, and gave it a good smack. The plant left white residue in a perfect leaf
shape on his skin, and it stayed for the rest of the day.
7. The locals make wine from the cashew nut. According to
our tour guide it is, “guaranteed to get you high for 1 to two days.” None of
us tried the stuff.
8. We found nature’s first pregnancy test, as well. A small
yellow flowered plant was used by women to detect a pregnancy. When urinated
on, if the test was positive, the plant leaf would turn yellow, and it is
claimed to be up to 99% accurate.
After we had walked
blissfully through the forest for some time, we heard a most shocking sound. I can
only describe it as a mix of a growl, scream, engine starting, and roar. Turns
out that sound belonged to howler monkeys. Howler monkeys have a special bone
in their throat that allows them to howl so loud. We followed the noise for a
bit and then looked up. All over the tree above us was a troop of howler
monkeys.
Their black bodies hovered in the canopy, perched seemingly
precariously, and as they noticed our guide with leaves to share, they came
down from the trees. These monkeys are not considered tame, but they are habituated to human presence. About 5 were brave
enough to come to the branches just above our heads, and we were able to hand
them leaves. Their facial expressions were beyond description, and amazingly
enough, I was able to differentiate between each just by their faces—in a very
human way. One of the howlers had a one month old baby clinging tightly to the
hair of her tummy and nursing occasionally as she fed.
My heart was bursting
with affection for the most beautiful, little creature that God could produce. The
monkeys ate around us for some time, exploring us and what we had to offer,
then made their way back up the tree. The big male of the group stayed in the
tree and howled the whole time, but we were able to get quite close with mommas
and juveniles. It was a surreal experience, and one of the best of my life.
Though the monkeys were the highlight, we did get to see
some pretty cool other stuff today. We saw the basilisk (or Jesus Christ
lizard) that runs across the top of the water in a most amazing fashion. We also
saw a cross between a hummingbird and a kingfisher, known as the rufus-bellied
jacamar. It was a beautiful bird with black wings and a sparkling, bright green
breast. We stopped by the side of the Belize River and saw another troop of
monkeys across the water in the trees, and saw a croc swimming in the water. We
stopped at a road stand and bought coconuts to drink from afterwards and headed
to our new abode.
The house we
stayed in for the evening was superb. The large wooden and screened two-story
dwelling was sprinkled throughout with natural woods, hammocks, and bedrooms
for our sleeping. It is owned by a married couple of documentary film-makers
who have made clips for Planet Earth, Life, and BBC. They’ve housed Steve
Erwin, and they are having David Attenborough down in a little while to film
vampire bats. It was a lovely place to stay and had two sweet dogs to play
with.
In the evening, we
went for a night tour of the zoo! The nocturnal animals, such as cats and kinkajous
received treats from us and our guide, and it was really neat to see them
active in their natural hours. During our tour, the sky opened up and we were
showered with fat drops of hard rain. It was the first rain we had experienced
all trip, and because it was warm outside, we were in a densely planted zoo at
night, and the animals were calling all around us, it was a most surreal and
amazing experience. We walked around in it for some time before it let up. Day
tour of the zoo tomorrow!
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