A rescue centre on Belize's Ambergris Caye has quietly set a milestone. ACES Wildlife Rescue, which has operated in San Pedro for 16 years, has admitted 72 different species into its care this year as of October 21 — its highest ever, edging past the previous record of 71 species in 2023. For perspective on how fast demand has grown: just seven years ago the annual count was 19.
The number counts species, not individual animals, but it shows the sheer range of what washes up on the team's doorstep. Patients have included baby hummingbirds no bigger than a thumb and American crocodiles up to 12 feet long. Regulars include pigeons, grackles, boas and crocodiles; rarer visitors have been noddies, shearwaters and common gallinules. Every new species means fresh homework — the right housing, diet, medical treatment and a plan for release — and ACES says unfamiliar arrivals can take hours of research and outside expert advice before care even begins.
Why the surge? The organisation points to a mix of growing public awareness and shrinking habitat. As development spreads across the islands, animals are being pushed into spaces people occupy, which leads to more calls for help. Crocodiles in particular become a hot topic in the rainy season, when rising water brings them — plus snakes and iguanas — closer to homes; all of ACES' crocodile traps are currently deployed under houses to relocate smaller crocs. There have also been sad incidents, including crocodile deaths involving a boat and a golf cart. Spring and summer bring a different wave: orphaned and injured young birds and mammals during breeding season.
The story is also a mini history of grassroots conservation in Belize. ACES began around 2000 in Punta Gorda as a crocodile education and research outfit, moved to Ambergris Caye in 2010, and for years could only stabilise animals before sending them to the mainland. With experience and mentoring from other rehabilitators, it built the capacity to provide full care locally, and its species tally climbed steadily: 38 in 2020, 51 in 2021, 60 in 2022, then a dip to 58 and 57 in 2024 and 2025 before this year's record.
For travellers, ACES is a reminder of what makes Ambergris Caye more than beach bars and reef trips — the island shares space with crocodiles, boas and dozens of bird species, and that coexistence is under pressure. If you're visiting San Pedro and come across an animal in trouble, ACES provides rescue, rehabilitation and release free of charge; calls from visitors and residents alike are welcome, and the team asks for patience and compassion rather than fear. It runs on donations, so even a small contribution or a volunteered hour goes straight into the work. If your trip lines up with mid-November, the fifth annual Lip Sync Party fundraiser lands on Sunday, November 15 at Someplace South Cafe Bar from 5PM to 9PM, with cash prizes, raffles, silent auctions, food and drinks — a genuinely local night out for a good cause. Contact: 623-7920 or info@acesbelize.org. As ACES puts it: wildlife belongs here.
