Sharon Matola (June 3, 1954 – March 21, 2021) was an American-born Belizean

biologist A biologist is a scientist who conducts research in biology. Biologists are interested in studying life on Earth, whether it is an individual cell, a multicellular organism, or a community of interacting populations. They usually speciali ...

environmentalist An environmentalist is a person who is concerned with and/or advocates for the protection of the environment. An environmentalist can be considered a supporter of the goals of the environmental movement, "a political and ethical movement that s ...

, and

zookeeper A zookeeper, sometimes referred as animal keeper, is a person who manages zoo animals that are kept in captivity for conservation or to be displayed to the public.Hurwitz, Jane. Choosing a Career in Animal Care (World of Work). New York: Rosen G ...

. She was the founding director of the Belize Zoo and Tropical Education Center, a zoo which was started in 1983 to protect native animals that had been used in a documentary film in

Belize Belize (; bzj, Bileez) is a Caribbean and Central American country on the northeastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a wa ...

.http://www.bfbs-radio.com/pages/extranet/sharon-matola-i-1303.php, BFBS radio presenters, Sharon Matola, Retrieved September 6, 2010. Matola graduated from

New College of Florida New College of Florida is a public liberal arts college in Sarasota, Florida. It was founded in 1960 as a private institution known simply as New College, spent several years merged into the University of South Florida, and in 2001 became an aut ...

in 1981 with a degree in

biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditar ...

Early life

Matola was born in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; ...

, on June 3, 1954. Her father was a sales manager for the

National Brewing Company The National Brewing Company was an American brewing company that was founded in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1885. Its Baltimore brewery was located in the city's Highlandtown neighborhood. After World War II, it grew to be the largest brewer in Balti ...

and her mother was an administrative assistant. She showed great interest in animals and concern for their welfare from an early age. After graduating from high school, Matola enlisted in the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army S ...

, in which she received

jungle A jungle is land covered with dense forest and tangled vegetation, usually in tropical climates. Application of the term has varied greatly during the past recent century. Etymology The word ''jungle'' originates from the Sanskrit word ''ja� ...

survival training Survival training is a theoretical and physical practice where participants aim to survive in the wilderness with as little means as possible. Survival training is used to teach survival skills or as a form of recreational activity in which indivi ...

. She then studied

Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...

at the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized into 12 coll ...

before transferring to the

Sarasota Sarasota () is a city in Sarasota County, Florida, Sarasota County on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The area is renowned for its cultural and environmental amenities, beaches, resorts, and the Sarasota School of Architecture. The c ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, a ...

, from which she received a bachelor's degree in biology in 1981; while at the college, she studied fish

taxonomy Taxonomy is the practice and science of categorization or classification. A taxonomy (or taxonomical classification) is a scheme of classification, especially a hierarchical classification, in which things are organized into groups or types. ...

during a trip to Belize. After college, she became an assistant

lion tamer Lion taming is the taming and training of lions, either for protection or for use in entertainment, such as the circus. The term often applies to the taming and display of lions and other big cats such as tigers, leopards, jaguars, black pa ...

at the

Circus Hall of Fame The International Circus Hall of Fame is a museum and hall of fame which honors important figures in circus history. It is located in Peru, Indiana on the former grounds of the Wallace Circus and American Circus Corporation Winter Quarters, als ...

before attending

graduate school Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate (bachelor's) degree. The organization and st ...

to study

mycology Mycology is the branch of biology concerned with the study of fungi, including their genetic and biochemical properties, their taxonomy and their use to humans, including as a source for tinder, traditional medicine, food, and entheogens, a ...

. She left graduate school for a job as an

exotic dancer A stripper or exotic dancer is a person whose occupation involves performing striptease in a public adult entertainment venue such as a strip club. At times, a stripper may be hired to perform at a bachelor party or other private event. Mo ...

in a

traveling circus A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicyclist ...

Mexico Mexico ( Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guate ...

, hoping to do biological field work during the day before dancing at night.

Belize Zoo

Matola's job in Mexico brought her to the attention of filmmaker Richard Foster, who hired her in 1982 to care for 20 animals being used in the making of a wildlife documentary film. When shooting of the film was completed, she was left to decide how to dispose of the animals, by then habituated to humans and unsuited to release into the wild. On a whim, she decided to care for the animals by starting the Belize Zoo, hung signs out on the road, asked a nearby restaurant to coax patrons into visiting the zoo, and waited to see who would show up. She soon realized that what Belizeans knew about Belizean wildlife at the time was often more myth than fact and that they were unaware that damage to the Belizean

rainforest Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainfo ...

threatened the populations of Belizean animals. With the blessing of the

Government of Belize His Majesty's Government in Belize, also referred to as the Belizean Government is the democratic administrative authority of Belize, a constitutional monarchy under a parliamentary democracy. It was formed in 1981 after gaining sovereignty from ...

, which could not offer financial support, she began raising money from

environmental groups An environmental organization is an organization coming out of the conservation or environmental movements that seeks to protect, analyse or monitor the environment against misuse or degradation from human forces. In this sense the environmen ...

to build and support the zoo. By 1996 the zoo was home to over 125 native species.Maynard, Caitlin and Thane: "Rainforests and Reefs: A Kid's Eye View of the Tropics." Zoological Society of Cincinnati, Inc., 1996. Singer-songwriter

Jimmy Buffett James William Buffett (born December 25, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, and businessman. He is best known for his music, which often portrays an "island escapism" lifestyle. Together with his Coral Reefer Band, Buffe ...

and actor

Harrison Ford Harrison Ford (born July 13, 1942) is an American actor. His films have grossed more than $5.4billion in North America and more than $9.3billion worldwide, making him the seventh-highest-grossing actor in North America. He is the recipient o ...

became supporters of the zoo. Before the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...

struck in 2020, the zoo drew 75,000 visitors a year, half of them Belizeans, and in March 2021 the zoo housed 190 animals representing 45 species native to Belize, including the

tapir Tapirs ( ) are large, herbivorous mammals belonging to the family Tapiridae. They are similar in shape to a pig, with a short, prehensile nose trunk. Tapirs inhabit jungle and forest regions of South and Central America, with one species inh ...

jaguar The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large cat species and the only living member of the genus ''Panthera'' native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the largest cat species in the Americas and the thi ...

spider monkey Spider monkeys are New World monkeys belonging to the genus ''Ateles'', part of the subfamily Atelinae, family Atelidae. Like other atelines, they are found in tropical forests of Central and South America, from southern Mexico to Brazil. The ...

coati Coatis, also known as coatimundis (), are members of the family Procyonidae in the genera '' Nasua'' and '' Nasuella''. They are diurnal mammals native to South America, Central America, Mexico, and the southwestern United States. The name ...

scarlet macaw The scarlet macaw (''Ara macao'') is a large red, yellow, and blue Central and South American parrot, a member of a large group of Neotropical parrots called macaws. It is native to humid evergreen forests of the Neotropics. Its range extends from ...

, jabiru stork, and two species of

crocodile Crocodiles (family Crocodylidae) or true crocodiles are large semiaquatic reptiles that live throughout the tropics in Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australia. The term crocodile is sometimes used even more loosely to include all extant ...

. The zoo's staff numbered 58 people before the pandemic struck, but dropped to 32 by March 2021 as the pandemic raged. Thanks to her work at the zoo, Matola became known as the "

Jane Goodall Dame Jane Morris Goodall (; born Valerie Jane Morris-Goodall on 3 April 1934), formerly Baroness Jane van Lawick-Goodall, is an English primatologist and anthropologist. Seen as the world's foremost expert on chimpanzees, Goodall is best kn ...

of jaguars" and the "Jane Goodall of Belize." The zoo eventually was renamed the Belize Zoo and Tropical Education Center, reflecting its mission of teaching people about Belize's wildlife.

Other work

2009-12-31 BFBS-BFR Matola Music Show BATSUB Belize

Matola served as a consultant for the filming of the 1986 movie '' The Mosquito Coast'', bringing her and the Belize Zoo to the attention of Harrison Ford and prompting him to become a supporter. Matola fought unsuccessfully to stop Belize's

Chalillo Dam The Chalillo Dam is a gravity dam on the Macal River about south of San Ignacio in Cayo District, Belize. Chalillo Dam's maximum capacity is 7.0MW. The dam was constructed by Sinohydro of Beijing, China between 2002 and 2005 with the primary purpo ...

project; the dam was constructed between 2002 and 2005. Her struggle was documented in the 2008 book ''The Last Flight of the Scarlet Macaw: One Woman's Fight to Save the World's Most Beautiful Bird'' by

Bruce Barcott Bruce Barcott is an American editor, environmental journalist and author. He is a contributing editor of '' Outside'' and has written articles for ''The New York Times Magazine'', '' National Geographic'', '' Mother Jones'', ''Sports Illustrated'', ...

. Matola began to contribute to

BFBS The British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) provides radio and television programmes for His Majesty's Armed Forces, and their dependents worldwide. Editorial control is independent of the Ministry of Defence and the armed forces themselv ...

Radio in Belize in 1992, starting with a popular wildlife series called ''Walk on the Wildside'', in which she explored the lives of Belize's flora and fauna. She also had a weekly

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm an ...

radio show that she broadcast from Airport Camp — the home base for

British Army Training and Support Unit Belize British Army Training Support Unit Belize (BATSUB), the successor of the former British Forces Belize, is the name given to the current British Army Garrison in Belize. The garrison is used primarily for jungle warfare training, with access to o ...

(BATSUB), in

Ladyville Ladyville is the largest village in the country of Belize, eight miles northwest of Belize City in the Belize District. The Philip Goldson Highway connects Ladyville to Belize City. History Although originally a separate settlement, Ladyvil ...

, Belize — until August 2011, when the government of the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

closed the camp. Matola wrote children's books centering around the character Hoodwink the

Owl Owls are birds from the order Strigiformes (), which includes over 200 species of mostly solitary and nocturnal birds of prey typified by an upright stance, a large, broad head, binocular vision, binaural hearing, sharp talons, and feathers a ...

Personal life

Matola's marriage to Jack Schreier ended in divorce. She had no children. She became a naturalized Belizean citizen, and lived on the zoo's property. She said that her favorite animal was the

harpy eagle The harpy eagle (''Harpia harpyja'') is a neotropical species of eagle. It is also called the American harpy eagle to distinguish it from the Papuan eagle, which is sometimes known as the New Guinea harpy eagle or Papuan harpy eagle. It is th ...

Death

Matola died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which m ...

at a hospital in

Belmopan Belmopan () is the capital city of Belize. Its population in 2010 was 16,451. In addition to being the smallest capital city in the continental Americas by population, Belmopan is the third-largest settlement in Belize, behind Belize City and Sa ...

, Belize, on March 21, 2021, at the age of 66.

In media

"The Reef...and the Rainforest," a 1992 episode of the

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of ed ...

television series ''

Return to the Sea Return may refer to: In business, economics, and finance * Return on investment (ROI), the financial gain after an expense. * Rate of return, the financial term for the profit or loss derived from an investment * Tax return, a blank document or t ...

'', includes an interview with Matola and footage of the Belize Zoo.

References

External links

Belize Zoo

A Tribute to Sharon Matola – the Founder of the Belize Zoo (Channel 5 Belize, 23 March 2021)
/nowiki>]
Founder of Belize Zoo Sharon Matola Passes, CTV 3, March 22, 2021

Founder of the Belize Zoo Passes Away Love FM, March 22, 2021

How to Build the Best Little Zoo in the World , Sharon Matola , TEDxBelmopan, Jan 12, 2018

Bird Talk with King Vulture and Harpy Eagle at the Zoo, Channel 5 Belize, Apr 8, 2019

The Jaguar Rehabilitation Programme at the Belize Zoo, Channel 5 Belize, Apr 12, 2019

Sharon Matola's Story, Apr 18, 2012

Jungle Wonders of the Belize Zoo, ABC news, Retrieved September 6, 2010

''Return to the Sea'' Episode 206 "The Reef...and the Rainforest" at OceanArchives
(

Fair use Fair use is a doctrine in United States law that permits limited use of copyrighted material without having to first acquire permission from the copyright holder. Fair use is one of the limitations to copyright intended to balance the intere ...

policy for video a
OceanArchives
{{DEFAULTSORT:Matola, Sharon 1954 births 2021 deaths American emigrants to Belize American environmentalists American women environmentalists Belizean women Belizean conservationists Belizean biologists American women biologists Women founders 20th-century American biologists 21st-century American biologists Scientists from Baltimore Zookeepers Zoo directors 20th-century American women scientists 21st-century American women scientists