Huge Xatero camp discovered in the Bladen Nature Reserve

In our recent poll on the security of our borders, an overwhelming number of persons did not have confidence that the Belize Defence Force could man the borders. Well tonight, there is a new report of incursions into Belizean territory by Xateros that come across the border from Guatemala. During a recent research expedition funded by PACT, a team, including personnel from the Ya’axche Conservation Trust, scientists and B.D.F. soldiers, discovered a large Xate camp in the Bladen Nature Reserve. The camp was located twenty kilometers into Belizean territory and while no one was in the area, there were signs of recent harvesting. Ya’axché Program Coordinator, Bartolo Teul, says there is a need for more frequent B.D.F. patrols in the reserve to deter the xateros.

Bartolo Teul

Via Phone: Bartolo Teul, Program Coordinator, Ya’axché Conservation Trust

“The team stumbled on a very large Xatero camp in Snake Creek and, as you may know, the xateros are from Guatemala. This particular area we are talking about is between fifteen and twenty kilometers from the Guatemalan border. We also discovered the use of horses to take out xate leaves from this area into Guatemala. There was a wide trail, however, they did not find any persons during their visit, but there were recent signs of activity. The patrol leader mentioned to me that the confidence of these people is very high apparently. They are leaving personal effects such as clothes, footwear, food and even cola in the camp site with no fear of being detected or even arrested. It’s alarming to us really. Not that this is the first time we’re seeing their presence. We saw them couple years ago when we were doing patrols, xateros camp and horses were found. But we did not realize that they were moving further west and further inside Belize.”

Delahnie Bain

“What happens when you all discover these camps?”

Via Phone: Bartolo Teul

“Well, when they first found it, they didn’t want to make any signs of detection or to be detected that they were in the area because they still needed to do this rapid ecological assessment. But on the way out, the camps were destroyed. Because of that, I think one of the things we’d like to see, we’re recommending frequent patrols in this area to discourage this or at least to show that authorities are in the area and better yet if we could capture them.”

The expedition was intended to help the managers of the reserve get a better picture of the natural value of the Snake Creek Area, which was determined to be one of the healthiest forests in Central America. Instead, Ya’axche found that xateros were engaged in harvesting the xate.