Jaguar Killed by Speeding Vehicle on Burrell Boom Road Marks Eighth Roadkill This Year

Reports say a jaguar was struck and killed by a speeding driver, last night on the Burrell Boom road, according to the Belize forest department. This is the 8th time for this year that one of Belize’s “big cats” has been the victim of roadkill. Deputy Chief Forest Officer, John Pinelo urges Belizeans to be more careful when commuting on the roads and highways especially at night when these animals tend to hunt.

John Pinelo, Dept. Chief Forest Officer: “One of the only ways we will be able to reduce  road kills  and especially road kills for large cats  is for Belizeans to slow down when they’re driving through areas that they know or that we have said are territories for these animals.  We have built roads through their territories  and they still have to cross  while we’re driving past.  So I am asking the Belizean public to please be careful when you’re driving through areas where you know you might see animals  because we will end up losing our top predators not because of loss of land  or because of overhunting but because of speeding and  the accidents that we have with these wildlife while they’re crossing from one side of the road to the next to try and go over to their territories.”

Considering this recent incident, The Forestry Department is holding discussions to find ways to reduce the number of jaguars being killed. Pinelo says that one method being considered is the installation of Rumble Strips that will act as a scare factor, so animals avoid the highway when vehicles are passing.

John Pinelo, Dept. Chief Forest Officer: “By Rumble Strips that might actually chase the animal away when they hear the noise, so they don’t come to the edge of the road.  But we’re actually having a discussion right now on strategies that have been used in other countries to try and reduce the number of accidents that we have with animals.  And it’s not only jaguars. I mean, if you travel on the road every morning, you see the number of Coates,  Possums, other Ant bears  that are dead on the road from the nights accidents and it is alarming the number of animals that are hit every night.  That’s what I see only on my highway, which is George Price Highway, imagine on the other highways.  So, it is a serious issue that we need to address, and the department is actively looking at, as I said to employ that can minimize the accidents between humans and wildlife.

Our news archives show that as late as September 30, a decomposed jaguar was found in the Malacate area of Independence village in the Stann Creek District.