Roatan: when natural fauna becomes merchandise — The hidden story behind wildlife tourism

Behind the photographs and videos capturing those unique experiences and the daily arriving cruise ships, there is a story that few know but many have witnessed without fully understanding: the growing exploitation of wildlife for tourism.

The scene is familiar to anyone who has visited the island: a tourist smiling while holding a sloth like a stuffed animal in French Cay, a nurse shark swimming around tourists in Pigeon Cay, or a guide offering photos with a monkey for a few dollars on West Bay Beach. For many travelers, these are “magical” moments. For many islanders, it is simply “a way to make a living.” But behind these images lies a complex chain of trafficking, animal stress, legal violations, and a tourism model that, far from protecting the island’s natural heritage, seriously compromises it.

The Silent Rise of Private Parks and "Sanctuaries"

This phenomenon cannot be discussed without acknowledging how mass tourism transformed Roatan’s economy. As the island became a recurring destination for international cruise ships, a clear demand emerged: visitors wanted to see “exotic” animals. And although the Bay Islands have their own valuable wildlife, it was not considered “exotic enough” for the market.

That was when tourist centers began appearing that brought in species not native to the island. Sloths, for example, native to mainland Honduras and Central America, arrived on the island mainly through two channels: illegal capture or purchase from traffickers operating out of La Mosquitia. In 2025, the Public Ministry reported the seizure of five sloths that were being transported to Roatan to supply this growing tourism industry. The transport was not only illegal; it involved separating extremely sensitive animals from their natural habitat. Once the first “animal park” opened in French Cay, replicas of this illegal business model began to appear, not only in that community but in other parts of the island.

From the outside, Little French Key seemed like a perfect cay: palm trees aligned like a postcard and a tour offering something no other place in Roatan had—huge, exotic felines posing just meters from visitors. For years, tourists shared photos alongside a lion, jaguars, and, at certain times, even tigers. The official version of the place was simple and touching: all had been rescued. The lion, they said, came from a circus; the jaguars, from abusive situations; and other animals followed.

But that story fell apart when Honduran authorities began investigating what was really happening behind that makeshift zoo. The news was reported by many outlets, including InsightCrime.

The first formal alerts arose after a fire in 2018 that forced environmental authorities to inspect the area. What they found did not match the narrative presented by the site. Teams from the ICF, MiAmbiente, the Environmental Prosecutor’s Office, and the PGR documented that many of the animals—including jaguars, a lion, several monkeys, macaws, and other mammals—were in the possession of Little French Key without any type of registration, license, or environmental permits for their care. Honduran law requires that any wild animal, and especially exotic species or those under CITES protection, be properly registered, with traceable origins and certified handling conditions. None of this existed.

The inspection also revealed something more concerning: several of the felines had arrived on the island through irregular wildlife trade channels. External journalistic investigations had already indicated that some specimens came from mainland facilities linked to seizures involving narcotics trafficking or illegal wildlife trade. Among them was “Zimba,” a jaguar identified by specialists as the same animal that had been confiscated in 2015, but which inexplicably reappeared years later at Little French Key, once again confined in a cage.

Within the complex, ICF technicians and state veterinarians described cramped spaces, cages without adequate ventilation, and animals showing signs of chronic stress.

The Prosecutor’s Office also documented veterinary reports explaining why some of the females had lost their offspring: behaviors associated with confinement, constant anxiety, and a lack of appropriate conditions for their species. Nothing they found corresponded to a “sanctuary” or a rescue center; rather, it was a private zoo operating outside the law. With this evidence, the PGR ordered the immediate seizure of several animals and opened cases to determine responsibility for lack of permits, mismanagement, and illegal possession of wildlife. The ICF initiated administrative procedures, while MiAmbiente certified that the establishment had never been authorized to keep or exhibit exotic animals. During the operations, horses, monkeys, macaws, and felines were removed or relocated under state supervision.

The intervention made it clear that the tourist attraction many visitors had enjoyed was, in reality, the façade of an uncontrolled system, where animals requiring vast territories and specialized care were kept confined on a private island without environmental approval. Little French Key thus became the perfect example of how tourist demand can support practices that break the law and ultimately harm the very species it claims to “rescue.”

The 2025 Intervention

In February 2025, a joint operation between the ICF, the PGR, and the Interinstitutional Task Force Against Environmental Crime changed the narrative. In a single day, 91 animals were rescued from tourist sites in Roatán: sloths, monkeys, scarlet macaws, sea turtles, queen conches, and even spiny lobsters, all kept in irregular conditions for display. The news spread throughout Honduras, but for island residents, it was no surprise: they knew that tourist demand was pushing some establishments to operate outside the law.

The operation sent a clear signal: wildlife exploitation in Roatan had reached a critical point. And although some business owners claimed to have permits, Honduran law leaves little room for doubt. The Forest, Protected Areas, and Wildlife Law establishes that wildlife is the property of the State and prohibits its capture, transport, and exhibition without strict authorization. Most of these activities complied with neither the spirit nor the letter of the law.

What Tourists Don’t See

Pigeon Cays has become one of the most popular tours in Roatan, especially for the opportunity to swim alongside nurse sharks. Until recently, these experiences were seen as harmless—until a viral video revealed the other side of the interaction. Content creator Stacy Hemmans posted a clip on Facebook in which, laughing but showing fear, she and her friend clung to the dorsal fin of a nurse shark while other tourists around them also appeared to be enjoying themselves. The video was soon removed, but it raised concerns about the abuse of these animals, which had previously been considered docile.

Gunther Kordovsky, an Austrian resident of Utila with decades of experience on the island, shared in an interview with ARC+ that he himself was attacked by a nurse shark:

“They say they don’t bite, but it sucked and tore off a piece of flesh the size of a hamburger from my thigh; I have the scar to prove it,” he recounted.

His experience demonstrates that the assumption that these sharks are not dangerous is false and highlights the risks of interacting with wildlife without respecting their natural boundaries.

Similarly, in Roatan, a sloth photographed dozens of times a day may appear calm and gentle, but that stillness is a natural defense mechanism, not a sign of comfort. Sloths sleep between 15 and 20 hours a day; in tourist centers, many are kept awake by force, constantly handled in front of cameras, and exposed to loud noises and sudden temperature changes. Chronic stress in this species weakens their immune system, disrupts their already delicate digestion, and reduces their life expectancy.

When these animals are captured or subjected to frequent human handling, as happens in tourist experiences where dozens of visitors hold them, their lives change dramatically. Scientific studies indicate that on tours where sloths are passed from person to person, the number of daily manipulations can be high, with animals being held by several tourists consecutively and without proper support for their bodies—causing physical and emotional stress, disruptions to rest patterns, and behaviors not seen in the wild.

Stress is a real biological response: in a noisy, changing environment and under constant human contact, sloths show increased visual vigilance and less opportunity for natural rest, which is associated with anxiety. For this and other reasons, in 2025 the Forest Conservation Institute (ICF) introduced regulations prohibiting physical contact between tourists and vulnerable animals, including sloths, in Roatan’s interaction centers. Starting in March–April of that year, visitors could still observe them up close, but handling or holding them as part of tourist experiences was no longer allowed. Yet, many parks continue to do so.

A resident of French Cay, who wishes to remain anonymous, told the ARC+ team that some “sanctuaries” that consistently bring cruise ship visitors and tourists to take photos with sloths make the animals work longer hours than their biology allows.

Some sloths have died after long days of exploitation. Afterwards, their bodies are hidden to prevent reports.

Other residents of the French Cay community have reported that certain sloth parks or “sanctuaries” on the island, while advertising that they rescue animals, actually acquire wildlife directly from residents of La Mosquitia and bring them to Roatan. The animals, separated from their homes and families, end up caged and exposed to tourists under the guise of a “rescue,” when in reality it is a wildlife trade that perpetuates exploitation and illegal trafficking.

Monkeys, on the other hand, are social animals that rely on stable groups to develop. Living in isolation or interacting with strangers all day causes them frustration, aggression, and abnormal behaviors. Most of the monkeys used as “attractions” were taken from their family groups at very young ages, making them individuals who will never be able to fully reintegrate into a natural social group. Even scarlet macaws, a national symbol of Honduras, suffer exhaustion and feather loss when handled or kept in inadequate conditions. Their presence as “photo animals” directly contradicts conservation efforts in Honduras, which take years to establish.

Local Defense: Poverty, Tourism, and an Uncomfortable Reality

When authorities began enforcing restrictions, many voices on the island responded with indignation. “Let them work,” some said. “It’s their way of surviving.” And, to some extent, they were right: Roatán experiences a stark economic inequality between formal tourism sectors and communities that depend on daily income. However, justifying wildlife exploitation due to economic need is a temporary solution that creates deep long-term problems. Economic necessity has shaped the way people justify activities that would otherwise be considered illegal or unethical. For example, when a man uses a monkey on West Bay Beach, selling photos to tourists, many defend him online, saying it is acceptable because he is poor and needs to earn a living. Yet the monkey is not domesticated, does not have permits, and is being forced into labor for the benefit of someone struggling economically. In this way, morals are often adjusted to fit necessity: the argument becomes that survival outweighs legality or animal welfare, and wildlife defenders and environmentalists are told to “mind their own business.”

Global tourism is changing. Informed visitors do not want a photo with a stressed animal; they want authentic, sustainable, and ethical experiences. Islands that have embraced this transition—such as Bonaire or certain areas of Costa Rica—now lead successful models of responsible tourism that generate more income for their communities.