Hicatee Turtles
Determining sex ratios on captive-born Hicatee
The March bi-annual health assessment for Dermatemys mawii began on Saturday, March 5, and will wrap up on Tuesday, March 8, 2022. This is the first health assessment since March 2020 that we’ve been able to invite participants from abroad. The Hicatee Conservation and Research Center has experienced successful breeding of our captive population of…
Read MoreDocumenting Dermatemys mawii courtship, breeding, and nesting
by Thomas Pop and Jonathan Dubon Last year, HCRC Manager, Thomas Pop, and Wildlife Fellow, Jonathan Dubon, separately witnessed two amazing events during their daily work at the Hicatee Conservation and Research Center. Tom observed captive Dermatemys mawii (Hicatee turtle) exhibiting courtship behavior and mating and later Jonathan recorded a female Hicatee laying eggs. Both events…
Read MoreCelebrate the 5th Annual Hicatee Awareness Month!
Please join BFREE and the Hicatee Awareness Planning Committee in celebrating the 5th Annual Hicatee Awareness Month this October! The Hicatee turtle is the only living species in an ancient family dating back 65 million years. This turtle has outlived the dinosaurs! Unfortunately, the Hicatee now faces a high risk of extinction due to overhunting. …
Read MoreCongratulations to Jaren Serano, BFREE’s first Wildlife Fellow alum!
Congratulations to BFREE’s first Wildlife Fellow alum, Jaren Serano, who recently graduated with honors from Jacksonville University. He completed his Bachelor of Science in Sustainability and Minor in Biology in June 2021. Jaren helped launch the BFREE Science and Education Fellowship Program in January 2018. With the support of the Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA), Jaren…
Read MoreWildlife Fellow, Jonathan Dubon Embarks on 2nd Year
Jonathan Dubon is the second Wildlife Fellow to take part in the BFREE Fellowship Program. Jonathan began working with BFREE in June 2020, immediately after the shelter-in-place order was lifted in Belize. He assists Tom Pop at the Hicatee Conservation and Research Center (HCRC), and although his program began during the COVID pandemic, his first…
Read MoreTSA-NAFTRG Turtle Survey at BFREE
Last month, the BFREE reserve became the focus of a mark-recapture survey by the Turtle Survival Alliance’s – North American Freshwater Turtle Research Group (TSA-NAFTRG). After a year’s delay due to the COVID pandemic, the team was thrilled to get approval from Belize Fisheries Department to implement their research. The TSA-NAFTRG team’s goals included establishing…
Read MoreMarch 2021 Hicatee Health Assessment
Over the last six years, the Hicatee Conservation and Research Center (HCRC) population of critically endangered Central American River Turtles, Dermatemys mawii, has grown from the 22 founding adults and subadults to 45 breeding adults. Sixty-four clutches of eggs have been deposited from 23 reproductive females resulting in 693 eggs, and over 650 hatchlings. The…
Read MoreDry Season at the Turtle Ponds by Jonathan Dubon
BFREE Wildlife Fellow, Jonathan Dubon shares a day in the life at the Hicatee Conservation & Research Center (HCRC) during dry season.
Read MoreEducational materials shared with young Belizeans across the country!
By Ms. Ornella Cadle, Hicatee Awareness Month Committee Coordinator Each October, BFREE ambassadors and partners visit schools to present on Hicatee Awareness Month. Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, outreach looked a bit different this year. While traveling to various schools for outreach wasn’t a safe option, we wanted to ensure the incredible resources still reached…
Read MoreIntroducing Jonathan Dubon, BFREE Science & Education Fellow
BFREE is pleased to introduce our newest Science & Education Fellow, Jonathan Dubon. Jonathan grew up in Independence Village about 20 miles east of BFREE and has known from an early age that he wanted a career that would include his passions for field experience and outdoor adventures. This passion grows from visiting his Grandma’s farm near Punta Gorda…
Read More