While in training as Peace Corps volunteers, we were excited to take a field trip to the rehabilitation and rescue center called the Belize Zoo. The most spectacular feature of this zoo is how the habitats of the animals are structured within the dense forests of Belize itself. Instead of the traditional enclosures you usually see in the States, the Belize Zoo has long walkways that allow visitors to wander through lush nature and experience the wildlife, all while keeping the animals as comfortable and close to their natural habitats as possible. (For safety reasons, though, some animals have fences between them and visitors to protect from any unwanted attention.) An example of an animal cared for like this was our dear friend Kevin, a jabiru stork living his best life at the zoo.
Standing over five feet tall, Kevin is a sight to behold. With a long black beak and beautiful white feathers, he resembles a living dinosaur and is the largest flying bird in Central America. Kevin has a red ring at the base of his neck, and his pitch-black eyes stare right through you. His beak, which is the same color black as his head and neck, is longer than the entire top half of his body! Past the trunk of his body, he has long black legs that remind me of chicken skin.
