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UK "Wild Productions Limited" Films for Animal Planet Europe in Belize

Wildlife SOS International Series Spotlighting ACES Croc Conservation

Press Release – American Crocodile Education Sanctuary/ACES – January 25, 2012 – Earlier this month Cherie Chenot-Rose, Research Biologist and Owner of ACES/ American Crocodile Education Sanctuary, was contacted by Jim Incledon, Creative Director and Cameraman for "Wild Productions Limited," about filming the ACES team in action for an international wildlife rescue, research and conservation series. Excited to share their crocodilian conservation efforts here in Belize, Cherie and Vince Rose, husband and ACES Croc Behaviour Expert, said of course! The series is titled "Wildlife SOS" and will air later this year on Discovery Channel's Animal Planet.

First broadcasted in 1997, "Wildlife SOS" is a long-running documentary series presented by Simon Cowell MBE, creator, producer, writer and founder of the environmental charity "The Wildlife Aid Foundation." Originally a documentary about the trails, tribulations, and accomplishments of the Foundations veterinary hospital in the UK, "Wildlife SOS," now in its 15th year and 10th series, focuses on capturing the most challenging situations that fellow wildlife
rehabbers face around the World, including animal cruelty, illegal captivity, habitat destruction, and the illegal poaching and sale of protected animals and their parts.

One episode will focus primarily on the crocodile conservation efforts of ACES on Ambergris Caye. The film crew will then accompany Vince and Cherie to Punta Gorda to document the tragic turn of events that took place on September 5, 2010 and the arson of ACES. They will rescue any remaining crocodiles for relocation to the new ACES Educational Croc Eco-Sanctuary at Caribbean Shrimp Farms, Ltd. in Ladyville.

Filming in Belize will occur this February and will hopefully also focus on other wildlife rescue organizations and conservation efforts throughout the country. Cherie Rose is the local production coordinator and liaison between Wild Productions and the Belize Film Commission.

For more information contact Cherie at [email protected] or 666.3871.

San Pedro Sun

Wildlife SOS films ACES for Discovery Channel's Animal Planet

Wild Productions Limited arrived in San Pedro Town on Tuesday morning ready to film Vince Rose and Cherie Chenot-Rose of American Crocodile Education Sanctuary's (ACES) work on the island and countrywide in regards to their conservation efforts of the American Crocodile. According to Simon Cowell, for the last 30 years, he has been filming with an emphasis on education, getting people to care about animals. "When they grow to care about the animal, they then have a reason to conserve."

Wildlife SOS is now in its 15th year and 10th series, focusing on capturing the most challenging situations that fellow wildlife rehabbers face around the world, including animal cruelty, illegal captivity, habitat destruction, and the illegal poaching and sale of protected animals and their parts.

ACES will be filmed through the next week, covering the story of how they began ACES in Punta Gorda to documenting the tragic turn of events that took place on September 5, 2010 that resulted in the arson of the ACES facility.

The San Pedro Sun was on the scene on Tuesday night where the film crew and ACES managed to capture a 6ft female American Crocodile. ACES observed that the crocodile had been captured before, in April of 2011. During the first capture, it was noted that the crocodile was missing a section of its tail. It is believed that poachers had removed the tail in order to illegally sell the meat.

While the crocodile can survive without a portion of its tail, it is at a distinct disadvantage when in its natural habitat. During the second capture on Tuesday night, it was observed that the crocodile had lost its left hind leg. ACES believe that it was bitten off by another crocodile. Once caught, ACES, and film crew relocated the crocodile to a pristine habitat in northern Ambergris Caye.

The ACES episode on "Wildlife SOS" will air later this year on Discovery Channel's Animal Planet. Cherie Rose is the local production coordinator and liaison between Wild Productions and the Belize Film Commission. For more information contact Cherie [email protected] or 666-3871.

San Pedro Sun

Crocodile Sanctuary Feature Of US Documentary

When you hear our next story is going to be about Simon Cowell - your first thought would probably be that it's about Simon of American Idol fame. But no, this is another Simon Cowell.

He's the host of Wildlife SOS - a TV show on Animal Planet, based in the UK's Wildlife Aid. The show has been running since 1996 and produced by Simon Cowell's Wild Productions. It is run almost completely by volunteers and is about rescuing injured, sick or orphaned wildlife and treating and raising them so they can be ready to be released back into the wild. But Cowell and his production team has branch out to other countries around the world. One such stop for them is in Belize, where he will be producing a documentary based on the Ace crocodile wildlife sanctuary - owned by Vince Rose and his wife Cherie.

We found out more about the taping:

Simon Cowell - Host, Wildlife SOS
"Because I've been travelling for the last 6 years doing international episodes, at SOS, we like to go and see what other people are doing in other countries. We like to see how they handle the problems, what types of problems they have compared to ours. Coming to Belize to meet the ACES crew, of all the trips I've ever done, these guys do the most to deserve help, and I don't say that lightly. They're the only the couple in Belize saving crocodiles. They've had death threats - people are just ignorant of the facts. This is why education is so important, but if everybody can help them, they so desperately need it. We're going to do a week here, and then we get back. But of all the trips, they are the most deserving. We've seen them rescue other crocodiles. We've seen the problems that the crocodiles have - the wrong sort of habitats, the fact that they are problematic crocodiles. And if people just realize that if there are problematic crocs, that Vince is actually taking those away. They are not causing more problems. They are actually helping the people, if they understand that. But to see rescues, to see how quick they are - they are an apex predator. They are absolutely phenomenal creatures, and they've been here for up to 250 million years. We've been here for about 5 minutes compared to that. They really deserve their place on this planet. I have never seen two people so passionate and so thwarted in their work. They are desperate in trying to help, and yet everybody seems to be against them. They need some help desperately."

Monica Bodden
"Tell us about your documentary."

Simon Cowell
"It's a TV series. It started off filming in my own center in the UK, because we rescued a lot of animals in the UK. It started off like that, but after we'd done quite a few series of that, it was interesting for me, as a rehabilitator of wildlife, to go and see the problems in other countries, and whether we're dealing with the same types of problems. And sadly, we are. We're dealing with a loss of habitat worldwide. And we're also dealing with a man-animal conflict, and sadly, 99.9% of the time, its man that's damaging these creatures. And if the chain breaks - if the food chain breaks, we're going to be in trouble ourselves. Everything has its place on this planet. Everything has its place and runs on right up to us, but we need to start to respect the creatures that we live with, and the planet that we live on."

Monica Bodden
"How long will you guys be here?"

Simon Cowell
"We're here with ACES for another 3 or 4 days, and they we're moving on to film some howler monkeys, turtles, manatees, and that sort of things. So, for me, I'm so lucky to get to do the job I do, but a lot of it makes me incredibly sad, when it's such a struggle."

The production team plans to stay in the country another 5 days or so visiting other wildlife sites.

Channel 7

Croc Dundees get into rehab

The American Crocodile Education Sanctuary (ACES) has been under the lens of renowned U.K wildlife filmmaker, Simon Cowell, not the American Idol creator. Cowell, is a British television presenter who hosts the Animal Planet documentary series called Wildlife S.O.S. For a week now, the U.K. team has been working with ACES to highlight their work in Belize and to educate the public on the importance of the rehabilitation of crocs that are fast disappearing as their species climbs the rungs on the endangered list. News Five stopped in at the rehab center in Ladyville where a new croc was released into rehab.

Vince Rose, Founder/Owner-American Crocodile Education Sanctuary

"It was really fun because what we did with Simon and his crew, we went down to Punta Gorda and there was still a crocodile alive left in one of the pans; so we rescued that one, set a trap in there, drove it up here and we are able to re-release into its new home; so we saved another croc."

Simon Cowell, Managing Director, Wild Productions

"We been filming TV series called Wildlife SOS for fifteen years, because I have a wildlife center back in the U.K, so now we spend half of our series filming in the UK and but we try to come abroad for half the series to see what sort of conflicts and problems other wildlife rehabs have and in different countries; and sadly, ninety-nine point nine percent of the times it's always a human/animal conflict, that's the big problem."

Andrea Polanco

"So, I understand that you have been in the country for about ten days, what has the experience been like so far?"

Simon Cowell

"We've been in Belize for ten days and it's absolutely amazing; it's a beautiful country. The mangroves swamps, I mean, we actually took an aerial flight the other day and it was just so stunning to see, what an amazing country to come to. But to see this guys working, to work with ACES, they are the people in the whole of Belize that are dealing with the crocodile problem. And the North American Crocodile is hugely endangered, I mean there are no more of those than there are Polar Bears, and everybody thinks Polar Bears are cuddly and lovely but they are really endangered and they need our help. The problem with ACES, I think they are very misunderstood by the local people; they sort of think they are doing damage but they are actually just taking the problem crocodiles away from the situations so that the crocodiles are safe and so are the people; but it is very hard work for them."

Andrea Polanco

"And what do you think this exposure will mean for ACES and by extension, the country of Belize?"

Simon Cowell

"I am hoping that people will see what an amazing country Belize is, it's so beautiful; but importantly for ACES, who have lost everything, they had that dramatic fall last year which took everything, all their possessions which would've made me give up, I wouldn't have been able to cope with that; but they have come through it, their passion is still driving and forward and people need to support them; if they can support them financially, that's great or with products and produce, anything to help them get through this. They need to rebuild, they need to build more enclosures so that they can take problem crocs away from the public and release them in safe places and what a better country to do it, it's beautiful."

Vince Rose

"It's an absolute blast working with professionals who have done it for thirty years, versus me, eight years. What it does for ACES, any media attention helps with education, and that's the primary focus. Everyone needs to understand why we save crocodiles, why they are important to stay in the environment and why it's important not to feed them; so he's going to help us get that message send out through one of his programs."

Vince and Sheree Rose have set up a rehabilitation home for both of the American and Morelet Crocodile species. The team said that they've had a ninety nine percent success rate in the rehabilitation process of the rescued crocs.

Channel 5

Lots of awesome pics.....

ACES /ANIMAL PLANET PROJECT
Feb 10, 2012
by All Pro Global
ACES, American Crocodile Educational Sanctuary, Animal Planet Production Team and Photojournalist Michael Davis Animal Planet film work featuring Vince and Cherie working with the crocs here in Belize

LINK

That's not the Simon Cowell I was expecting...

ACES Belize & Wild Productions

Wild Productions films ACES for Animal Planet Series

UK based Wild Productions Limited arrived in San Pedro on February 7th for a two-week filming session with Vince Rose and Cherie Chenot-Rose of American Crocodile Education Sanctuary (ACES). The footage will be used for an episode on Wildlife SOS a Discovery Channel series that is now in its 15th year and 10th series. The popular series focuses on capturing the most challenging situations that wildlife rehabbers face around the world, including animal cruelty, illegal captivity, habitat destruction, and the illegal poaching and sale of protected animals and their parts. The renowned program is regarded as one of the longest-running animal rescue TV series. Wildlife SOS founder, host, writer and managing director Simon Cowell, MBE (Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) has been filming wildlife for the past 30 years, with an emphasis on education and getting people to care about animals. "When they grow to care about the animal, they then have a reason to conserve," stated Cowell in an interview with The San Pedro Sun. Cowell, who sports a mischievous grin, also founded The Wildlife Aid Foundation and emanates an infectious passion for wildlife. The foundation's Wild Aid Hospital, located in Leatherhead, Surrey, UK cares for thousands of rescued wild animals each year; where they are treated, rehabilitated and more often than not returned to the wild.

A first time visit to Belize for the well travelled production team; Cowell, along with producer, creative director and cameraman James Incledon and cameraman, editor Jason Giberti immediately took to the ground, interviewing and filming the husband and wife team that makes up ACES. Producer James Incledon first learned about ACES when he came across a short video produced by San Pedro based Island Films called "What does ACES do?" The action-packed video was enough for him to place a call to Cherie, and when asked about filming them on location, Cherie exclaimed, "We were excited to share our crocodilian conservation efforts here in Belize, so of course we said yes! Belize is one of the last strong-holds for this threatened apex predator and the more we can share with the world our efforts here on Ambergris Caye and countrywide to protect, study, rehabilitate and conserve the American Crocodile the better chance they have of surviving." Although a handful of other international filming companies have documented ACES, this will be the first time an entire episode will be dedicated to their story.

Filming began the same day the crew arrived and one of their shoots documented ACES capturing a 6ft female American Crocodile at the WASA Lagoon. It was noted that the crocodile had been captured before in April of 2011. During the first capture, they discovered that the crocodile was missing a section of its tail. It is believed that poachers had removed the tail in order to illegally sell the meat. While the crocodile can survive without a portion of its tail, it is at a distinct disadvantage when in its natural habitat. During the second capture on February 7th it was observed that the crocodile had lost its left hind leg. ACES believe that it was bitten off by another crocodile. Once caught, ACES and film crew relocated the crocodile via boat to a pristine habitat in northern Ambergris Caye. Other filming on the island included rescuing a crocodile from a resort swimming pool, relocating two crocodiles from the WASA Lagoon where illegal feeding of the animals as a tourist attraction is still in practice, and accessing the health of crocodiles living in the San Pedro sewage ponds by collecting scute samples that will be tested for toxicity.

Days later ACES and the production team traveled to Punta Gorda, where the American Crocodile Education Sanctuary was first started eight years ago. The film team was especially interested in telling the story of how the facility succumbed to arson in September 2010. Only their second time at the site since the tragic event, it was a very emotional and tearful interview with the heartbroken couple. Standing within the charred remains of their home and compound they built by hand, the setting was a powerful reminder of what they have experienced in the name of wildlife conservation. "People don't realize how challenging it can be for those who have dedicated their lives to protecting wildlife. The adversity can be tremendous, and even deadly at times. Despite it all their passion drives them to continue their work. Most people would have just given up after a tragedy like this; but not Vince and Cherie," commented Cowell after the interview. While in Punta Gorda the camera crew filmed ACES capturing a croc from one of their holding pens and driving it to their new facility in Ladyville. There they will assess the health of the animal and may relocate it to the wild if deemed healthy enough. After filming with ACES, the Wild Productions team covered an in-water sea turtle survey with Ecomar at Gallow's Point and then travelled to Sartenja to film monkeys and manatees at Wildtracks.

"Filming with Wild Productions was the experience of a life time! It will give ACES and Belize international exposure and greatly enhance funding for our croc conservation and education efforts. Personally, the entire film crew was a pleasure to work with and we made some fantastic friends as well. Working as their 'fixer' and liaison with the Belize Film Commission I also gained the opportunity to travel with them and experienced other conservation efforts in Belize, such as Ecomar and Wildtracks; all great people working to protect endangered species in Belize. I would like to especially thank Island Films for without their donated sizzle-reel "What does ACES do?', Wild Productions may not have found us. Other thanks on the island go to Exotic Caye Resort, Xanadu, Maya Island Air, Belize Water Supply, Billie Harmouch, and of course The San Pedro Sun," commented Cherie Rose.

The series is scheduled to air later this year on Discovery Channel's Animal Planet.

For more information about ACES please visit their website at http://americancrocodilesanctuary.org/ and for more information about Wildlife SOS/Wildlife Aid please visit http://www.wildlifeaid.org.uk/.

Click here to read the rest of the article and see LOTS AND LOTS more photos in the San Pedro Sun