Furry, Feathered, 4-Legged, No-Legged Citizens of Barbados: Part 2

May 29, 2017

My fellow explorers for the day

A friend recently shared a link to one of those tucked-away, lesser-known spots that proves itself to be a definite must-see. The Facebook pictures of nervous hands holding scaly reptiles for the camera and children’s faces bunched around feeding animals truly make it one such place. So last month, I packed the godchildren into the car and we ventured off to MariZayra’s Sanctuary in a quiet pocket of St. Philip on Barbados‘ southeast coast. On the balmy drive past ever-decreasing civilization into the country, we speculated about what we might see at the sanctuary. The conversation was mostly punctuated with high-pitched exclamations of “I’m not touching that!”

Sanctuary entrance

At the sanctuary, tour guide Rashane Estwick met us with a welcoming smile and ushered us onto a path of recycled bricks (from the historic Sam Lord’s Castle) through the Edenesque entryway. A symphony of gurgling water, intermittent shrieking, and the growing volume of The Lion King soundtrack in the background made it feel like we were walking out onto a savannah somewhere in the wilds of the African continent. In these “wilds”, we would encounter everything from tortoises and rabbits to iguanas and lab rats to one GARGANTUAN centipede (oh yes, there’s a video!). From goat mouths anxiously awaiting food out of little hands to snakes curled around my wrist to a male peacock’s feathers fanned out in colourful glory to one VERY hyper green monkey, Rashane offered fun and interesting facts on each animal while easily balancing the barrage of questions and comments. It would be a day of being scared, grossed out, intrigued, amazed, etc. Join us on the adventure below!

Male Siamese fighter fish are extremely aggressive. They are kept in separate tanks to prevent them from trying to eat each other.
Hope, blind from glaucoma, was suffering from malnutrition when she arrived at MariZayra's. Here she was restored back to good health.
Dutch Blue love birds work like a true team during the incubation period: while the female sits on the eggs, the male brings her food. He doesn't enter the nest until the eggs have hatched.
"Lilly Hall", the flora section of the sanctuary, features a small lily pond, an orchid tree, some Siamese fighter fish, and a young mauby tree.
The bark of this young mauby tree is used to make a common local drink of the same name. '
Green monkeys are locally considered to be pests. Their cells are used in the development of polio vaccines.
This giant barrock is totally unafraid of humans and would peck us if we got too close!
Everyone wanted to feed the goats! Gabby, the white goat, has borne a kid at the sanctuary.
Mongooses were brought to Barbados to control once thriving snake and rat populations.
Did you know that baby rabbits are called "kits" or "kittens"?
Tumblers are so called because of their unique ability to tumble, or spin, in flight. This is thought to be a way of escaping predators.
The Australian cane toad secretes a poisonous "milk" from its back, making it dangerous for dogs and cats.
This wild iguana had to be held firmly by the legs or it would have run away!
This ball python is less than 6 feet long, making it legal to be in Barbados. It is non-venomous.
Many of the tortoises at MariZayra's are rescue animals.

DUCKS AND GEESE ENJOYING A DAY AT THE POOL

MALE PEACOCKS ATTRACT FEMALES BY SPREADING AND SHAKING THEIR FEATHERS.
THE VIBRATING “EYES” ARE WHAT ATTRACTS MRS. RIGHT!

THE STING OF A CENTIPEDE IS STRONG ENOUGH TO CAUSE ALLERGIC REACTIONS AND
EVEN DEATH IN SOME PEOPLE. THIS LARGE ONE WAS FOUND RIGHT HERE IN ST. PHILIP!