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Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 84,397
Marty Offline OP
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ACES / American Crocodile Educational Sanctuary no longer exists

From the facebook page of ACES

by Cherie Renee Chenot-Rose on Sunday, September 5, 2010 at 1:10pm:

ACES no longer exists. While Vince and I were on Ambergris Caye rescuing three problematic crocodiles for the Belize Forest Department, two children went missing from a village near Punta Gorda. The local Maya villagers believed that Vince and I fed the missing children to the crocs. We were not even there, as I stated, but were on Ambergris Caye. As a lynch mob, the villagers burnt ACES / American Crocodile Education Sanctuary to the ground. The status of the crocodiles is unknown because the fire is so hot the Belize Defense Forces cannot get to the property. Noone has been arrested. Vince and Cherie are now homeless and do not have anything to their name. Everything was lost. Our lives have been threated if we return to Punta Gorda. We do not even know if our dogs survived. We are not sure how to handle the situation, but the villagers and the country of Belize need to be held accountable. The United States Embassy in Belize in not helping us at all other than making us pay for our new passports. This is insane.

http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=425044629162&id=1504997330

Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 381
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WTF?!? Unbelievable....

Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 610
M
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M
Truly insane, Hopefully someone can find their dogs and get them to San Pedro. I think San Pedro could be an excellent new location for this very important project. That would not happen here. Have they had previous problems with locals? Was there any reason to suspect that the crocs were involved at all? Embassy can and will do nothing. All our law enforcement has problems. The police would love to arrest someone, bet on it, they are police. To prove arson the villagers would have to testify against each other? Maya are deathly afraid of crocs and they embody all kinds of evil in their cosmology. Truly incredible, I would have never dreamed of it. Glad they were safe and sound in San Pedro. Lets see what the week brings.

Joined: May 2010
Posts: 80
T
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T
Caye man mini-chat was wrong thing to say. Sorry to hear abou your crocodile problem with your neighbors. Maya people very scared of gators. This will be a problem that you will not be able to resolve with them for long time now. Did nobody tell you that neighbors were mad?

Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 517
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What about the children? Are they still searching for them?

Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 1,446
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Children still missing

Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 2,733
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Originally Posted by Marty
ACES / American Crocodile Educational Sanctuary no longer exists

From the facebook page of ACES

by Cherie Renee Chenot-Rose on Sunday, September 5, 2010 at 1:10pm:

The United States Embassy in Belize in not helping us at all other than making us pay for our new passports. This is insane.

http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=425044629162&id=1504997330


I am curious. What is the responsibility and duty of the US Embassy in a case like this?

PS: found this on the web:
We can help:

Replace a stolen passport
Contact family, friends, or employers
Obtain appropriate medical care
Address emergency needs that arise as a result of the crime
Explain the local criminal justice process
Obtain information about your case
Connect you to local and U.S. resources to assist victims of crime
Obtain information about local and U.S. victim compensation programs
Provide a list of local lawyers who speak English
We cannot:

Investigate crimes
Provide legal advice or represent you in court
Serve as official interpreters or translators
Pay legal, medical, or other fees for you

Last edited by bywarren; 09/06/10 09:24 AM.
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 1,822
JZB Offline
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They were asking if the Embassy would be able to provide them protection so they can return to Punta Gorda and survey the damage without facing the villagers alone. The embassy said they could not help.

Joined: May 2000
Posts: 7,050
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Embassies don't do that. You would need to hire a private security force or perhaps implore the BDF or police accompany them.

Joined: May 2000
Posts: 7,050
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That is very sad news about the fire. The local superstitions in the south of Belize are a force to be reckoned with. And the fear of crocodiles and snakes is epic in the community.

Rick and Cherie have done an amazing job. Perhaps they could replicate their work on Ambergris Caye, but I fear that we may not have enough space, and that is before we even talk about expenses.

I hope they can locate their dogs and pick up the pieces to start over again.

This is a sad day for conservation in Belize.


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