Barbados – Part 8 – Barbados Wildlife Reserve

While we were up at the Mount Gay Rum Distillery, we decided to venture on to the Barbados Wildlife Reserve too. We wanted to go anyway, but they were so close together, that it just made it easy to do them both on the same day.

We saw all kinds of animals, native to the Caribbean islands and Barbados. There were, green monkeys, originally from Africa; tortoises; goats, peacocks, chickens and brocket deer, that all roamed the grounds freely. They also had some caimans penned up in their watering area, along with some large iguanas from Cuba, some guinea fowl, tropical birds of all colors and kinds, and even a couple of snakes, that I quickly bypassed.

The goats were outside the gates. I think they were privately owned, but they all looked very happy, and loved the camera.

Lots of babies too.

The green monkeys were everywhere. We have seen these green monkeys in St. Kitts, Nevis and Gibraltar too.

There were quite a few babies, sticking close to their mommies.

They are not afraid of people at all. But DON’T touch them, particularly at feeding time. They go crazy during feeding time, and can and do bite.

We caught the tortoises in some awkward situations more than a few times. They used to roam freely around the island, but now are only found in the Wildlife Reserve or are privately owned.

This rooster and peacock were close friends.

Larry and his flock of peacocks.

At first we didn’t see any of the brocket deer, but then they started to come out, especially at feeding time.

Feeding time was a hoot. The staff dumped a whole bunch of fruit and vegetables into a couple of locations and ALL the animals came out and dined together. The monkeys were hilarious. A few of them even sat on top of the tortoises.

Caimans and turtles.

The Iguana.

And of course, lots of tropical birds. The caimans, birds, iguanas, and snakes were all caged or penned, but they all had plenty of room to move around freely.

The animals were all well fed and well loved. I loved seeing how all the friendly animals had free reign of the park. It made it seem like they were truly in their natural environments. It did not seem invasive at all. I definitely recommend a trip to the Wildlife Reserve. It is fun and enjoyable, plus it helps the preservation and care of some of these endangered species.