With 5 species of cat occurring in areas of Northern Belize, human/animal conflict over resources can occur. Farming and hunting practices of local inhabitants can conflict and sometimes compete with the cats. While appropriate habitats for the cats continue to shrink and fragment with development, ensuring their survival without endangering or over burdening the local subsistence populations is a delicate balance. New development stretches out into these cats’ habitat and to the borders of protected lands. Overhunting of the cats’ natural prey items can lead the cats to look for alternatives. As livestock become increasingly in contact with cats, the cats can learn to look at them as potential food sources when natural prey becomes scarce.

In order for these majestic and secretive cats to survive in a future of continued pressure, we have to adapt our own behaviors. Without these top predators, ecosystems become unbalanced and unhealthy. Ensuring that these wild populations can survive, thrive and adapt to living near or with people will allow them to continue to exist for future generations. Changing the perception that these cats are liabilities to something that adds value to the lives of locals and the ecosystem is the key to their long term survival.

Zoo Miami staff travels to the Lamanai area of Belize a few times a year to participate in a cooperative program to learn about the cats interactions with the community in this human dominated landscape. Camera traps strategically placed around the region has already discovered more abundance and interaction than predicted by experts. Discovering the range and behavior of individual cats through radiotelemetry will be done in the next phase of the project. Educating the locals about the cats’ natural behaviors, protective farming techniques for livestock, and teaching children in these areas about how valuable the resources are can reduce conflict and create a better understanding in the community on how to coexist. Zoo Miami staff visits local schools and gives presentations on the work being done in the area. Creating value in the cats by helping develop programs where tourists pay to go with local guides to check camera traps and download the data provides unique opportunities for the community to profit from our work.