Jaguars seen in Seine Bight Village

If the people along the Sibun are concerned about threats to their flora and fauna, villagers in Seine Bight are tonight worrying about some unwanted visitors. For the last two weeks two jaguars have been roaming the area and residents are beginning to get edgy. The sightings were first made almost two weeks ago on the west side of the Placencia Peninsula just north of Serenity Resort. Measurements were taken of two different sets of tracks which appeared to show an adult male and a juvenile of undetermined gender. Last week some tourists canoeing in Placencia Lagoon reported seeing one of the cats swimming near shore while since that time one or both of the animals have been seen in the village of Seine Bight, usually at night. Needless to say, the appearance of jaguars on the narrow, rapidly developing peninsula, is unusual, and the cats are believed to have traveled south from the dense forest surrounding Riversdale. Yesterday the Belize Audubon Society and Forestry Departments were alerted and while no definite plan has yet been formulated, conservationists are hoping that the animals can be trapped and relocated to the nearby Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Reserve. Other residents of the area are less interested in HOW the tigers are removed than in the need to just get them out.