Keeping Your Pet Healthy in Belize

San Pedro Animal Hospital

San Pedro Animal Hospital – Living in Belize can be both a blessing and a curse to our pets. While our dogs can enjoy the luxuries of running off-leash and retrieving coconuts from the sea, they are also faced with a variety of health risks rarely seen in the United States, Canada, and Europe. Keeping a pet healthy here requires vigilance, as well as strict adherence to monthly and yearly preventive protocols.

The most obvious health risk to dogs and cats in Belize are fleas and ticks. In addition to causing blood loss they carry bacterial diseases such as Ehrlichia, the cause of “Tick Fever”. There are a variety of products out there to aid us in our constant battle against these parasites, some more effective than others. For dogs, Preventic collars are helpful, but they are only affective against ticks, not fleas. They also are most effective when not allowed to get wet. Frontline is a popular topical product marketed for flea and tick control, and applied monthly. Unfortunately, resistance to Frontline is growing within flea and tick populations everywhere, especially here in Belize.

You may find that despite applying it religiously every month you are still losing the battle against flea and tick infestation. My favorite product to date for fleas and ticks in Belize is called Promeris. It is only for sale to veterinarians, and is applied topically the same as Frontline once a month. At this time it is the most effective product I have found for repelling and killing fleas and ticks in Belize. If you are finding Frontline to be ineffective for your dog, I strongly recommend trying it. The cost for a single dose is between 35 and 40 Belize dollars depending on the size of your dog. It also has the added benefit of being an effective treatment for demodectic mange, a common genetic form of mange seen in puppies here in San Pedro. Do not apply it to cats, however. It is toxic to them. (more…)

El Pescador Fishing Report for Ambergris Caye

May 3rd – May 9th 2010 Fishing Report

El Pescador – REPORT SUMMARY: I returned from Orvis Houston, where I was invited to do a presentation for Orvis Spring Days. It was really a lot of fun to see Chris and Marcos. Story telling and new friends. Thank you. Amazing what a couple of days of retail therapy will do for a gal! Came home to blow out conditions, and guests trying to keep their personality in check. All in all, the week pulled out some magic for our patient anglers. The lagoon showed us some epic days, especially wonderful for my friend Pauly – legendary steelhead guide on the Skeena and Sustut – landed his first bonefish. Looks like we will be seeing more of Pauly here when the chromers aren’t running in BC. Fun stuff.

WHAT GUESTS WERE CATCHING:

BONES: We had to cancel fishing out on the water the first two days of the week due to wind and water conditions. Four restless and “anxious to go fishing” guests and I walked north on the beach and hunted big bonefish. We saw tailing permit! But we also had exciting and challenging bonefishing. One or two 4 – 6 lb bonefish were landed every day from the beach. It became addicting.

PERMIT: Permit tailing on the beach about ¼ mile from the lodge. Saylor gets into position, gets a couple of perfect casts to them, but they did not want his shrimp pattern. Normally, when moving about in schools, they would love a stripped shrimp, but when tailing on the beach, these permit were focused on crabs. Then, the permit swam between his legs – where was the video camera? We saw tailing permit for 3 days on the beach, none landed. From the boat we had 3 permit 15 to 20 lbs landed on crabs with spin.

TARPON: Leland showed up two years ago and landed an 80 lb tarpon on his first cast with Nesto. He came back this week with his buddy Steve – who has never been fly fishing for tarpon. Leland needs to be careful who he invites next time! Steve landed a tarpon two days in a row. Leland had stuff happen, but none landed. (more…)

OCEANA: Offshore Oil Exploration is a Definite “NO” for Belize

Petroleum Concessions Map of Belize

PR – Oceana is opposed to any offshore drilling in Belizean territorial waters and says all it takes is one spill of the magnitude of the Gulf Oil spill for Belize to lose everything. The recently released map prepared February 2010 by the Geology and Petroleum Department has confirmed previous speculation that massive oil exploration concessions have been granted throughout the country of Belize. This map shows that even the territorial waters of Belize has been divided up amongst eight of the seventeen companies which are grantees of these lease.

“To Catch A Cook” Cookbook now available for SALE!

To Catch A Cook Fundraiser

PR – The South Ambergris Caye Neighborhood Watch (SACNW) is happy to announce that the second printing of our Cookbook “To Catch a Cook” is hot off the presses and ready for sale! The book contains over 150 favorite recipes from island residents and well known island chefs.

All recipes contain only ingredients that are readily available on the island. Sections include Beverages, Appetizers, Brunch, Belizean Fare, Soups and Sides, Desserts, Helpful Hints, and much more.

To Catch a Cook is available for only BZ$30 and makes a great gift or souvenir. All proceeds from sales benefit the SACNW whose mission is to make Isla Bonita beautiful and safe.

Books are available by visiting Mr. Joe’s Grocery and Grill, Sunrise Realty, Ambergris Seaside Real Estate, emailing southacnw@yahoo.com or contacting any member of the SACNW Executive Committee.

Help support SACNW and satisfy your taste buds!

ELAW Partnership in Belize Working to Save Fishing Habitat

Sportfishing in Belize

ELAW Spotlight – Belize offers almost perfect habitat for bonefish, permit and tarpon, and ideal opportunities to pursue them with flies. Unfortunately, some shortsighted developers don’t care about the flats and the health of the marine environment. They have already destroyed critical habitats, and more abusive projects are being planned:

The proposed South Beach mega-resort on Ambergris Caye would destroy roughly 500 acres of mangroves near Hol Chan Marine – essential habitat for the many bonefish that live and breed in the area.

In southern Belize, a proposed development on Big and Little Channel Cayes in the Southwater Marine Reserve, a World Heritage Site, would destroy mangrove, coral and sea grass beds – the perfect permit habitat that gives this area its reputation as the “Permit Capital of the World.”

Prime tarpon habitat has already been destroyed by dredging and construction of a development on Rendezvous Caye off the Placencia coast.

Fortunately, people who live in Belize are organizing to protect these fish and the habitat they need. Fishing guides, small hotel operators, and citizens are coming together to challenge environmental abuses and work toward a sustainable model of development that protects Belize’s unique marine habitats. The Ambergris Caye Citizens for Sustainable Development (ACCSD) in San Pedro and the Peninsula Citizens for Sustainable Development (PCSD) on Placencia are young organizations that want to chart a sustainable future that protects the fish.

ACCSD and PCSD have teamed up with ELAW to ensure that the lessons learned through these efforts to protect fish habitat in Belize can be shared around the world through the ELAW network.

We have joined to form the Grand Slam Alliance, which will strive to:

1. Stop the destruction of flats, mangroves, corals, and seagrass beds that are critical for fish;
2. Assist with crafting master plans for coastal and island development that will protect valuable habitat;
3. Work to strengthen and enforce laws and regulations aimed at protecting sportfish and their habitat;
4. Educate communities about the importance of protecting habitat that is critical to the long-term survival of healthy fish populations; and
5. Help communities speak out to protect fish and critical habitat.

To learn more about the Grand Slam Alliance, visit our website: www.grandslamalliance.org

Investors say ‘drill baby drill’ but San Pedranos say no to oil prospectors

Elito Arceo, President, Ambergris Caye Citizens for Sustainable Development

Channel 5 Belize – The international news has been replete with the horrors of the massive oil spill off the Gulf of Mexico. Eighty-five thousand barrels have spilled so far since the well exploded on April twentieth.

Oil exploration is a relatively new industry for Belize and while the operations on land have so far experienced no major accidental disasters, offshore drilling is an entirely new experiment for us. But now there is word that a group of investors have been given a license to explore off the coast of San Pedro. That is why San Pedranos are concerned that an oil spill could spell disaster for the entire country.

While oil exploration will earn the country much-needed revenues, the repercussions of a disaster such as a spill like what happened in the Gulf of Mexico, could pose even greater long-term risks for a developing country like Belize, and concerned groups feel there needs to be a reactive solution in place.

Miguel Alamilla, Mgr., Hol Chan Marine Reserve: “Look at what’s happening in the Gulf, they haven’t been able to contain that spill for how long? I think it’s about two weeks or more. And the US has a lot of resources and money to do that and they haven’t been able to do it. What if that would happen here in Belize? It would be an even worse scenario because we have less resources and less finances to be able to contain a leak of that magnitude. Oil exploration can lead to damaging effects. If there is a leak, can we contain that leak? What are the possibilities? What are the possibilities? What are the damages that can result from that? We need to look into that and if something happened it could affect our livelihood, not only for us in San Pedro but for the country, all those that are dependent on tourism.” (more…)

David Gegg defends his investment on San Pedro

David Gegg

Channel 5 Belize -The developer of the proposed Sea Trek project, David Gegg, says the concerns are based on unrealistic impressions and false information. The project was originally planned for the Tuffy area, south of the current site. But San Pedro Town Mayor, Elsa Paz recommended that the location be changed to the Mexico Rocks area. She was not in office today to answer our questions but Gegg explains that the project is completely safe and poses fewer risks than snorkeling and scuba diving.

David Gegg, Developer

“Sea Trek is one of the safest, most environmentally friendly dive activities there is in the world. It operates in forty different countries around the world. Most recently they opened in Vanuatu in Fiji just last week, and they’re in Hawaii, they’re in Mexico, they’re in the Bahamas, they’re in Cayman, they’re in all developed countries of the world and hopefully we’ll soon have an operation in Belize.”

Marion Ali

“But I spoke with a marine biologist, I spoke with some environmentalists, I spoke with concerned residents and their concerns seem to be legitimate. People who touch these sensitive marine life or life formations such as brain coral and so forth that are on the seabed can potentially destroy them. Isn’t that legitimate?”

David Gegg

“Marion, if we would have done anything irresponsible we would have done it three years ago. This project is three years in the making and funding for the project was not provided until we had a legal signed Environmental Compliance Plan. It is intended to allow us to operate in an area in Mexico Rocks where there is actually no coral on the sea floor. It’s a sandy area where you can walk without any impact to coral or anything on the seafloor. There’s no direct contact with marine life, there’s a sandy area in which we’ve been authorized to operate. What we intend to do is to put a rail so that people can hold this rail and follow that rail and they can’t divert from that rail. So they’ll be walking on the seafloor, over nothing more than sand.” (more…)

Department of Environment gives go ahead to David Gegg’s Sea Trek

Dr. Ken Mattes, Marine Biologist

Channel 5 Belize – They say that progress brings problems and tonight a new project in San Pedro Town is in the eye of the storm. There are numerous environmental woes which the residents and environmentalists are outraged about in the new underwater project in the Mexico Rocks area. It is proposed by developer, David Gegg, and is known as the Sea Trek. What has raised the ire of the community is that the project is being developed near the barrier reef and would allow visitors to walk on the seafloor while attached by a rope to a barge above. News Five’s Marion Ali found out that an Environmental Compliance Plan was signed by Chief Environmental Officer, Martin Alegria with Gegg.

Marion Ali: “This is the area known as Mexico Rocks. Located six miles north of San Pedro Town, it is popular for its abundance in brain coral and juvenile fish. It is also the site of a controversial tourism project, one that has environmentalists from the island up in arms.”

Dr. Ken Mattes, Marine Biologist, San Pedro: The problem that I have with it is that I believe it is based on just using negative buoyancy. Normally when you scuba dive you wanna maintain neutral buoyancy, so you’re similar to a fish. You hang above the bottom and you don’t touch the bottom and you don’t do any damage. This system I believe, depends on negative buoyancy, you wanna be overweighted so it can push you against the bottom and then you walk around. You don’t want to make contact with the bottom.

You’re gonna do damage. You’re gonna be stepping on corals, stepping on all kinds of marine life, stirring up the sediment on the bottom. It causes a condition called sediment loading, it causes the sediment to come up into the water column and then drop back down on top of the coral. Most corals have the ability to clean themselves off from the sand, but it stresses them and causes them to use energy that they wouldn’t need to use otherwise. So it’s a similar type of thing to dredging, in fact, where dredging stirs the bottom up. Well a bunch of people walking around on a sandy bottom, that’s going to stir the bottom up in a similar way to how the dredging does, not as severe of course, but nonetheless, this is not a positive thing for the environment. (more…)

New Underwater Sea Trek Project raises concerns from Ambergris Caye residents

Underwater Sea Trek Project raises concerns

San Pedro Sun – An Environmental Compliance Plan (ECP) signed by Mr. Martin Alegria of the Department of Environment (DOE) and Mr. David Gegg of Discovery Expeditions has caused great concern for environmental groups and individuals on La Isla Bonita.

Namely, the plan gives clearance for an “underwater walking helmeted dive activity on a defined path, with a rope rail” and “operation of a floating barge with dimensions 42ft x 16.5ft housing the underwater helmeted equipment, air compressor and restroom facilities, to be located within the above specified project area.” Located in the Mexico Rocks Area of Ambergris Caye, near the Belize Barrier Reef, this Sea Trek location has brought up many questions, which The San Pedro Sun has tried to get answers to.

In a phone interview with project developer, Mr. David Gegg, he stated that this is in fact his second signed ECP for the proposed project. In 2007, he obtained the first signed ECP, upon which over $750,000 was invested for a thorough survey and research in their original area of choice, Tuffy. Based on their observations at Tuffy, it was deemed necessary to create contained walkways that would prevent any human interference or damage to the young coral that was observed thriving in the area. After all the research was conducted, concerns were raised by local fishermen and guides based on the fact that the area was used as a popular fishing destination. It was then recommended by Mayor Elsa Paz that as an alternative, they move the project to Mexico Rocks. Hence the second ECP for the new location was signed on April 19, 2010.

In the evaluation at Mexico Rocks, a thorough survey was conducted in February with members from the DOE, Fisheries Department, a member from the San Pedro Town Council (SPTC) and members of Hol Chan. According to Gegg, the new location is actually such that there won’t be a need for walkways, but rather, handrails will be used to guide the underwater explorers at a depth of no more than 12 to 15 feet along the sandy ocean floor. One concern is that placing the handrails will cause sedimentation, but Gegg explained it is a simple railing system that is secured with weight blocks. (more…)

San Pedro Residents defend rights to Ambergris Caye land

Colonia San Diego lot ownership

San Pedro Sun – In 2007, property lots were awarded to residents of San Pedro in various subdivisions such as Colonia San Diego, which was surveyed in two phases. In phase one, two hundred and fifty three (253) lots were distributed.

Phase two commenced shortly after and provided residents with one hundred and seventy six (176) lots. Colonia San Diego is located about five and a half miles north of San Pedro Town and is situated on the western side of the island. Records show that a large number of residents have paid for these lots in full, however a large number have submitted payments for first installments and survey fees only.

It has been brought to light that some lots have been re-issued to other people, some lots have were undervalued and then revalued at a higher price, and in some cases, individuals claim that the government is refusing to issue titles for properties that have been paid for.

Evelia Paz – Williams, native of San Pedro, acquired two parcels of land during the issuing of the lots in the above mentioned phases in the Colonia San Diego Sub Divisions. In January of 2008 she was issued “Land Purchase Approval Form” as per the National Lands Act, 1992. Assessments of the purchase price for both parcels were conducted and there was a first installment, which was to be paid within three months from the issuance of the approval to purchase. Mrs. Williams produced government issued receipts dated February 5th 2008, where she made payments on both properties.

On February 15th, 2008, the Government of Belize, under the Ministry of Natural Resources issued a press release advising the general public of the suspension of land title and lease hold issuances at the Land Registry while an assessment of these sections of the Ministry was conducted. The suspension was scheduled to end on 14th March 2008. (more…)