AmbergrisCaye.com Home Forums About Belize Nature Feeding crocodiles

from Wendy....

Some people on Caye Caulker are hand feeding wild crocodiles... Many children go to the south point to fish and this creates a danger for them, not to mention how many people bike in that area. Some people are so clueless.

This is dangerous and illegal for a very good reason. What these people are doing are putting the public and that crocodile at risk for their own entertainment. I never understand why people insist on doing such stupid and harmful things.

I think some people are just "ignorant" meaning lacking in knowledge, not unintelligent.
For the record, feeding them makes them associate humans with an easy meal, and therefore they begin to approach and be aggressive rather than fleeing like they normally would.
Ignorant people kill them for no good reason, like fear, there are plenty of those also.
I spoke with the property caretaker, he hasn't seen the Croc in 3 weeks.

Is ignorance a defense in law?

Not defending this by any means, I just live here and see this all the time.
Nothing much ever happens, so I figured it couldn't hurt to perhaps enlighten some people?
Leave the Crocs alone and they will do the same for you.

Actually a lot happens. What happens is that crocodile organisations have to compete with other charities, both human and animal to try to deal with these illegal human/animal conflicts caused by people claiming ignorance. Every penny that has to be spent capturing, destroying or relocating these endangered species could be spent on another cause, so it is quite a serious issue. People know that you shouldn't feed wildlife in North America because there have been very extensive publie education campaigns to protect bears and other species from people who choose to feed and put the animals and people at risk. There have also been extensive campaigns in Belize and most Belizeans care deeply about their reef and forest ecostystem. Tourists, visitors, residents and immigrants should so similar respect for our beautiful country.

I wasn't claiming ignorance of the law as an excuse, people are generally ignorant of the consequences of feeding and familiarizing crocs with people.
People are also ignorant of their relative shyness as compared to Nile Crocs or Australian salties.
Prosecute all the people you can manage, I just don't see it happen here, no one goes to court.

You're right. There probably won't be a prosecution. It's the Belizean precious wildlife that ends up paying the price for this sort of behaviour. They either end up dead, either because someone kills them because they've become a danger - or they end up in lifetime captivity in a sanctuary because they can't be safely relocated. Please help our wildlife in Belize stay wild and do not feed or interfere with them. It may be fun for you in the moment but it's not fun for the animals in the long run, nor the many people who devote their lives to trying to rescue and rehabilitate the endangered wildlife of Belize to fix the mistakes of those who claim ignorance. It would also mean that charity dollars weren't so stretched and could help other important causes such as our orphanages and schools.

One of the biggest being told what for I've ever received from a Belizean was when I was trying to discourage a friend from going to see the crocs fed. I attempted to explain why it was not the right thing to do. Had a strip this wide torn off my butt for denying Belizean people the right to make money (being paid by tourists to watch the feeding). Sigh

Collyk is exactly correct.
The only place crocs and alligators are protected is in the Caye Caulker Nature Reserve, south of the airstrip.
The money that is spent there comes right out of the money for the Ocean Academy building fund.

Those who go in the Reserve and feed crocs are trespassing and breaking the law.
They are placing the residents and visitors of that area in danger out of ignorance.

The crocs are only interested in things they can eat, and mating. Until now they completely ignored people unless you rode your bike over them on the path in the dark. I did that twice and Calvin Gentle at least once when he lived there.
If they see us as a food source they are going to approach humans and get killed.
Jim and Dorothy are experts on these crocs and know where they nest. I understand there have in the past been about twelve nests.
No full time ranger was needed in the past. It would be hard to supply one now without a grant.