Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 84,397
Marty Offline OP
OP Offline
An American photographer is visiting Belize to document the American Crocodilian in at least two areas of the country.

Jorge Aldana reporting�.

"Many scientists believe that Belize is one of the few places in the Western hemisphere that still has a healthy population of the American Crocodilians, commonly referred to as the American saltwater crocodile. That is now a matter of debate since it is believed that the American crocodile population is not at strong and healthy as believed. That's because while they are considered endangered, their habitats are threatened by development. In the case of Ambergris Caye, their habitats have been invaded due to the rapid growth of the island, to the point that crocodiles physically live amongst humans. In their fight for survival, the apex predator finds itself either feeding on waste or prey on domesticated animals; something that is becoming a problem for the human population on the island. It is a problem caused by humans and if enough is not done to control the imbalance in the ecosystem, it can lead to further complications. In an effort to educate more Belizeans about the importance of the American saltwater crocodile in the immediate environment and the food chain, the American Crocodile Education Sanctuary (ACES) has been doing several works to raise more awareness. Hence, ACES is hosting an American photographer, who is on a mission to document the reptile through his lenses. Photographer Brandon Sideleau spoke to the media and explained more about his visit to Belize.

Brandon Sideleau - Photgrapher

"I am just here working with them. I am going down to Punta Gorda later on which is where ACES was burned down on September 5, 2010 and I am going to document that and maybe film Vince while he goes through the wreckage. I am going to interview both Vince and Cherie as well. I do crocodilian science as well but right now my main focus is photography but I am also doing journalistic work down here as well for Adam Britton of Crocodilian.com and they are out of Darwin, Australia. I plan to shed a bit of light on the situation on Belize with the American crocodile; its population isn't as strong as many status reports would make it seem. They seem to portray this as one of the last stronghold of the American crocodile while they are still definitely here the population is nowhere as strong as they make it sound, especially here in Ambergris Caye. The local development is really impacting that and probably prosecution, hunting, outright killing for no reason of American crocodiles is an issue as well."

In sharing his observation, Sideleua said that mangrove clearance is a significant contributing factor in loss of habitat of the crocodiles, something that can lead to serious health and ecosystem complications. Sideleau says that through his picture, people will be able to appreciate the creatures more and perhaps see them differently. Sideleau is a well known photographer and works closely with Australian Crocodile Specialist Adam Britton in different broadcast pieces. In addition, he has contributed several pictures to the National Geographic print publications.

LOVEFM

Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 84,397
Marty Offline OP
OP Offline

Professional Wildlife Photographer shoots with ACES

Professional wildlife photographer Brandon Sideleau is currently visiting Belize, photographing the American and Morelett's Crocodiles in the country.

A professional photographer from Thousand Oaks, California, USA, Brandon lives to photograph and conserve wildlife. His greatest passion is to capture wildlife in every remote region of the globe in their natural habitat. To date, Brandon has travelled to and captured wild animals in the Pantanal of Brazil, Kakadu National Park and surroundings of northern Australia, Osa Peninsula and Carcovado National Park in Costa Rica and many other areas in California.

Brandon's visit was first scheduled for late 2010, but with the unfortunate loss of the American Crocodile Education Sanctuary (ACES) facility in southern Belize, his visit was postponed until now. Brandon will be in the country for a total of eight days, from January 4th through January 12th. Sideleau will be working in San Pedro primarily, then travelling south to Punta Gorda with ACES Animal Behaviorist Vince Rose to film some footage in the area where ACES was once located.

Internationally, Belize is known to be one of the last strongholds of American Crocodiles and according to Sideleau, their occurrence is reported to be in much higher numbers than they actually are. Cherie Chenot-Rose and Vince Rose of ACES have been working with the American and Morelet's Crocodiles in Belize for several years now. While in Belize, Sideleau will be working with the Roses on American Crocodile conservation, studying the population sizes, photographing the crocodiles and monitoring their statuses on the island. Apart from photographing these endangered species, Sideleau is also doing journalistic work for world-renowned crocodile specialist, Dr. Adam Britton of www.crocodilian.com out of Darwin Australia.

Sideleau pointed out to The San Pedro Sun that the loss of mangrove habitat, development, hunting and outright killing have caused much impact on the population of the crocodiles that are presently here on the island, and much needs to be done to protect these crocs if we are to maintain the species.

Sideleau hopes to use his website's podcasts and photographs to bring international attention to the situation of the American Crocodiles here in the country and strike more interest in their conservation.

San Pedro Sun



Link Copied to Clipboard
March
S M T W T F S
1 2
3 4 5 6 7 8 9
10 11 12 13 14 15 16
17 18 19 20 21 22 23
24 25 26 27 28 29 30
31
Cayo Espanto
Click for Cayo Espanto, and have your own private island
More Links
Click for exciting and adventurous tours of Belize with Katie Valk!
Who's Online Now
0 members (), 312 guests, and 0 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Forum Statistics
Forums44
Topics79,199
Posts500,011
Members20,460
Most Online7,413
Nov 7th, 2021



AmbergrisCaye.com CayeCaulker.org HELP! Visitor Center Goods & Services San Pedro Town
BelizeSearch.com Message Board Lodging Diving Fishing Things to Do History
BelizeNews.com Maps Phonebook Belize Business Directory
BelizeCards.com Picture of the Day

The opinions and views expressed on this board are the subjective opinions of Ambergris Caye Message Board members
and not of the Ambergris Caye Message Board its affiliates, or its employees.

Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5