Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary

The Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary is a nature reserve in the Stann Creek District of south-central Belize. It was established to protect the forests, fauna and watersheds of an approximately 400 square kilometres (150 sq mi) area of the eastern slopes of the Maya Mountains.

The reserve was established in 1986 as the first protected area for protection of the jaguar (Panthera onca). It is regarded as a premier site for jaguar preservation in the world.

The name 'Cockscomb' derives from the appearance of the Cockscomb Mountain ridge, that resembles a rooster's comb, which is situated at the northern fringe of the reserve and which is easily visible from the coastal plain of the Caribbean Sea. Habitation by the ancient Mayas occurred in the Cockscomb Basin as early as 10,000 BCE. However, the first modern exploration in the recorded history of the basin did not occur until 1888.

The Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary is actually comprised by two adjacent geographic basins. The West Basin is drained by the Swasey Branch, which is one of the main tributaries to the Monkey River. The East Basin consists of the upper watershed of South Stann Creek. The West Basin, being more difficult to access given distance from trailheads and higher forest density, is as of the current time still relatively unexplored from the standpoint of species mapping, Mayan ruins and other environmental details.

The reserve is generally lozenge-shaped, spanning an east–west dimension of approximately 36 km (22 mi) and a north–south dimension of approximately 14 km (9 mi). Elevation extremes are 50 m (160 ft) above sea level in the lower reaches of South Stann Creek to 1,160 m (3,810 ft) atop Victoria Peak.

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