Sharon Matola

Sharon has been working with us here at BFBS Radio in Belize since 1992. She started out by presenting a hugely popular on-air wildlife series called "Walk on the Wildside" in which she told of the lives of the countries flora and fauna. From deadly-poisonous snakes to the friendly dolphins swimming off Belize's coastline, Sharon gave each and everyone the same PR friendly 'sell'!

Nowadays she regularly presents all manner of shows on the station as a freelance presenter.

When not busy at BFBS, Sharon is the Founding Director of the world famous Belize Zoo (www.belizezoo.org) (SSVC/BFBS is not responsible for the content of external sites). That all came about in 1982 when film maker Richard Foster hired Sharon to handle 20 captive animals being used to make a film in Belize. When the filming was completed, Sharon was left with a bunch of animals far too tame to be let loose in the wild, so she set up some more permanent living quarters for them, pinned up a few information notices and started charging a small admission fee to what became Belize's first ever zoo. As anyone who's ever been to the zoo will tell you, it's no ordinary zoo! Part of her work involves travelling to schools and community groups across Belize to teach people about their natural heritage. So well run is the zoo that, according to his widow Lee, noted naturalist and writer Gerald Durrell "Adored and admired Sharon". Other supporters and visitors to Belize Zoo include actors Harrison Ford and Cameron Diaz, singer Jimmy Buffett and Australian croc' expert Steve Irwin.

Sharon says she feels that working along with BFBS and the British military provides a happy balance to her life as an environmentalist.