While looking for kid-friendly things to do during our trip to Belize, I found out that the Belize Zoo offered a variety of different Animal Encounters.
There were two encounters that really stood out. Sadly, the Jaguar Experience was sold out but we were able to take part in the Tapir Encounter!
Upon paying our zoo admission ($15 for adults, $5 for kids), I asked about the animal encounters. I was told to come back closer to the time they were offered and then pay for our spot if we wanted to get up close with a tapir.
The Belize Zoo is pretty big and there are lots of different animals to see. The layout is really nice with shady paths to walk on as you wander around.
When it was time for our animal encounter, we headed over to Tapir Town!
(FYI: Tapirs are the national animal of Belize, also known as a mountain cow. They are related to the horse and rhino.)
The zookeeper let us know that we’d be meeting Fuego during our encounter. It took a little while for him to appear.
Once Fuego came out of his enclosure, we were all very excited to meet him up close.
The kids went first…
Lucas couldn’t wait to feed Feugo and was courageous enough to also pet him. Theo stayed a bit further back, holding the ends of the carrots while feeding him.
When it was Kim’s turn, Theo got a bit closer as she fed our new Tapir friend. 
I’d say it’s safe to say that I spent the most time petting and feeding Fuego the Tapir.
Rather than feed him through the fence, I reached over, getting a good looking at this interesting, funny looking (cute) animal!
When my carrot supply ran out, I asked the zookeeper for some more. He was happy to give me a few more carrots before it was time for us to leave. (No, we didn’t want to!)
Final Thoughts:
Over the years, we’ve had some incredible animal experiences, interactions and encounters. The Belize Zoo is one of the better zoos that we’ve been to and for $5 per person, the tapir encounter is an absolutely amazing experience and a bargain!
The Belize Zoo is around a 45 minutes to one hour drive from Belize City.
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