
There are poisonous reptiles, snakes, insects and dangerous animals, like jaguars in Belize. Most animals shy away from human contact. But if you’re trudging through the rainforest, you would definitely want some bug repellant. And then there’s always the worry about snakes and anything similar. Machetes are common tools to carry with you when on an adventure. You would use it the same way as you would a baseball bat.
Obviously, reptiles are a different story. There’s a refuge for alligators in central Belize and the few that we have encountered down there were small. We just notified the refuge, whose personnel came and hauled them off. They are treated humanely. Walking around town, you’re not going to run into any dangerous animals.
Dangerous animals are probably a concern for people who have houses out of town. I wouldn’t say that encountering poisonous reptiles, snakes and insects and dangerous animals would be a life threatening concern, but it is more of a heightened awareness concern. If you live near water, be mindful because there could be an alligator who wants to take refuge in your lake, pond or nearby stream at some point.
As for pet dogs, you have to worry about them getting eaten by a jaguar, if your house is outside of town. However, jaguars rarely attack people. For example, we have one jaguar near our property. It creeps around at night. We have people on site, but it has never approached them. It just walks around and enjoys the beautiful beachfront.
Alligators and snakes would more than likely attack you than jaguars. As for mosquitoes, you expect them in Belize, so it is best to have bug spray. In the day-to-day life of an expat living in Belize, these thing are very insignificant. The only issue is if you go out into the jungle.