San Pedro’s wildlife organization, ACES Wildlife Rescue, is responding to a surge in crocodile sightings. The most recent case was reported on September 9th in the Secret Beach Area, raising concerns among residents, tourists, and business owners. In response, ACES has stepped up efforts to safely relocate the animals and educate the public, aiming to balance crocodile conservation with community safety.
ACES Chairman of the Board and volunteer, Ben Sept, along with Executive Director Ciaran O’Mordha and Clinic Manager Phebe Heneghan, spoke in an exclusive interview on September 12 about the challenges of managing the crocodile population. “We really have been seeing more and more croc activity on the backside of the island, and we actually had a great capture where one of the bar owners told us of the croc under one of the piers,” Sept explained, referring to a recent relocation. “Working directly with the bar owners, we were able to do a very, very safe relocation.”
The team noted that Secret Beach is not a natural crocodile habitat, which complicates the situation. “We strongly think that they are being encouraged to come in closer, because it’s not like a good crocodile habitat,” O’Mordha said. The main attractant appears to be human activity, especially when food scraps such as chicken bones are thrown into the water. “If people are throwing chicken bones when they’re at one of the bars into the ocean, if they’re trying to feed the fish, things like that, those are attractants, and that’s what’s drawing crocs towards that area,” said the team.
ACES stresses that crocodiles, a protected species in Belize, must not be fed or encouraged to habituate near humans, as this behaviour makes them bolder and more difficult to manage. “There’s an unfortunate adage I’ve seen elsewhere, but I think it works here, which is a fed croc is a dead croc,” Sept said. He clarified that while ACES does not kill crocodiles, they are the only group authorized to handle them. Relocated crocodiles are taken as far north on the island as possible to reduce their chances of returning, although some do make their way back if they associate humans with food. “It becomes a much more difficult croc to capture because they’ve already been captured once. They’re extremely intelligent. They’re not going to fall for the same capture method again.”
The organization is advocating for broader community and government involvement. “We would really like to meet with the town council and the BTB to address this at a broader, higher level,” Sept said. The goal is to establish rules to prevent food scraps from attracting crocodiles near populated or tourist areas and to promote coexistence strategies. Education remains a cornerstone of their approach. “These ancient reptiles… if we give them space, they’ll give us space,” Sept said. He cited areas like Mara Laguna and Truck Stop, where people and crocodiles coexist peacefully by following simple precautions.
ACES also tracks its efforts through microchipping crocodiles and hopes to enhance this system with GPS tracking in the future. The organization also plans to incorporate drone technology for nightly surveys, with support from local drone operators willing to assist in monitoring the population safely.
As San Pedro continues to develop, ACES emphasizes that coexistence is essential. “There is nowhere for crocodiles to be where there are no people anymore, but we can live near them. And that’s really our best option at this point if we want to keep crocs around.”
For wildlife rescue queries or assistance, contact ACES at 501-623-7920 or email [email protected].
