Chan Chich Forest Aerial View

Our friend Jeff was here last week, just days after Hurricane Richard hit our area. He had the opportunity to assess the damage to the forest from the air. Surprisingly, while there are some areas of damage (visible on the lower left), it appears mostly limited to the tops of trees broken off. Not complete blow downs. Chan Chich Lodge itself weathered the storm very well -- there were some downed trees near the pool but that was about the extent of it. All in all, we were very lucky.

A herd of white-lips

I love these guys. Not for their, uh, beauty, but because white-lipped peccaries (Tayassu pecari) are a good indicator species of intact tropical forest. They travel in large herds, sometimes 50 or more animals, and require vast forested areas to survive. Radio-collaring has shown that peccaries are a favorite prey species of the jaguar which follows them. Unfortunately, the fact that they do occur in herds makes them very vulnerable to hunting since they tend to group together instead of flee when threatened. That's a good strategy when fending off a jaguar ... but not so great with a well armed human hunter who could potentially wipe out an entire herd in a few minutes.

This is another of Ben's photos taken near the Lodge in July 09. It's just one of a series from this particular herd who proved to be quite curious about the camera. Their presence is testament to a large, and well protected forest here in Gallon Jug Estate. And that makes me very glad to see them here indeed.