Last updated: October 24, 2026
On a quiet trail near the river, a camera strapped to a tree clicks on. A puma lies stretched out on the ground, licking its lips and cleaning its paws, in no hurry at all. It looks like it has just finished a meal. Nobody is there to see it. A few days later, Emil Flota will.
Emil has spent more than 25 years at Chan Chich Lodge, and for more than five of them he has been the patient eye behind our Belize trail cameras. His footage has captured nocturnal jaguars, herds of peccaries, tapirs, all five of Belize's wild cats, and one animal never before recorded at the lodge. This is his story, and what he wants every guest to understand about the animals whose rainforest we share.
From quiet beginnings to the heart of the jungle
Emil grew up in San Lazaro Village in Belize's Orange Walk District. His older sister worked at the lodge as a waitress, and she helped him get his first job here.
"I used to be a very quiet, isolated guy and very timid," he says.
He started as a gardener, then worked as a bartender and waiter. Somewhere along the way, the rainforest around him took hold. "I started to fall in love with nature," he says.
From a film camera to a 600mm lens
Emil's first camera was a simple film camera. Next came a small Nikon digital. Then he started noticing the visiting photographers who arrived at the lodge carrying long lenses.
"When I saw the tools, in my mind I just said, wow, what a beautiful photo," he remembers. "One of these days I will get one of those cameras."
He did. Today Emil shoots with a Nikon D800 and a 150 to 600mm lens. He learned from biologist and photographer friends and spent his days off on the trails, practicing. He edits on his phone and keeps it light, adjusting color and bringing the animal into the light, nothing more.
He doesn't call himself a professional. The guests who see his work tend to disagree.
Life behind the trail cameras
On his days off, Emil heads out to check the cameras and review the footage. "There is no typical day. Every day is a new day, and always there are surprises with nature," he says. "I enjoy most when I just sit in a peaceful area, checking one by one the footage. I never get tired of that."
The lodge runs five active trail cameras across its 30,000-acre private reserve. Some spots stay quiet for weeks. Others never seem to stop. The busiest camera sits near the river, close to a pond. There, Emil has filmed white-lipped peccaries with their young, a large group of coatis, and that well-fed puma. Peccaries are a main food source for jaguars and pumas, so where the peccaries go, the cats often follow.
"Wildlife, in general, likes roads, they like trails," Emil says. "So wherever I put a trail camera, we're definitely going to get some wildlife data."
All five wild cats of Belize, on camera
Belize is home to five wild cats: jaguar, puma, ocelot, margay and jaguarundi. Emil has captured every one of them at Chan Chich.
The margay was the hardest. It spends much of its life up in the trees, so Emil's clip is only a few seconds long, and it is still the cat he chases most. He would also love to catch a jaguar or puma on the hunt. For a closer look at each cat, read Wild Cats of Belize: Puma, Ocelot, Margay, and Jaguarundi at Chan Chich.
Nine jaguars, each one different
Emil has identified nine individual jaguars in the area. He tells them apart the way researchers do, by their spot patterns, which are as unique as fingerprints. Each one roams a territory of roughly 9 to 10 square miles, so any of them could turn up on any camera.
When Emil leads his trail camera session for guests, he lines the jaguars up side by side and shows how to read their spots. After one session, a guest walked up to him and revealed he was a biologist. "Emil," he said, "you shared something that even I, as a biologist, never knew."
Face to face with the wild
The cameras aren't the only way Emil meets the cats. "I encountered a jaguar and a puma face to face. The puma even started coming towards me," he says. "It's a unique experience."
The opossum's clever trick
One of Emil's favorite clips shows an ocelot and a puma passing right by an opossum, easy prey, and leaving it alone. Emil explains why: the opossum rolls in the scent the cats leave to mark their territory, and the borrowed smell seems to confuse them. It is a perfect example of how much happens in the rainforest when no one is watching.
A first for Chan Chich: the southern spotted skunk
The skunk you are most likely to see at the lodge is the striped hog-nosed skunk. So when a small, spotted shape crossed one of Emil's cameras, he was only about 40% sure of what he was looking at.
He took the clip to Luis, who has worked at Chan Chich for 36 years. Luis confirmed it: a southern spotted skunk, the first ever recorded at the lodge.
Patience is everything
Ask Emil what he wishes guests understood, and the answer is simple. "Nature photography is a lot of patience. Everything is patience," he says. "If you don't have patience, you will miss a lot of stuff."
His advice for guests is just as simple: "Explore as much as possible. The animals are around us. It's not 100% that you will see something, but there are lots of chances."
That is the rhythm of a stay at Chan Chich. You walk slowly, listen closely, and let the rainforest come to you. We never promise a jaguar, but we can promise you will be in the right place to look.
A place that feels like home
After more than two decades, Emil still sees the lodge with fresh eyes. "It is a unique and special place," he says. "It's a wonderful place to work, and I'm proud to be part of the family."
See the footage for yourself
Since 2025, Emil has hosted a trail camera session for lodge guests, walking you through years of footage: the nine jaguars, the rare cats, the opossum's trick and the skunk that made lodge history. Pair it with a guided Night Drive or Night Walk, both starting around 6:30/7:00 pm, and you can see the reserve the way the cameras do.
Trail camera FAQs
Can I see a jaguar at Chan Chich Lodge? Jaguars live in the reserve, and Emil has documented nine individuals on camera. Sightings in person are rare and never guaranteed, which is what makes the trail camera footage so special.
What wild cats live in Belize? Belize has five: jaguar, puma, ocelot, margay and jaguarundi. All five have been captured on the trail cameras at Chan Chich.
Can guests watch the trail camera footage? Yes. Emil hosts a trail camera session for lodge guests, sharing highlights from years of footage. Ask our team to add it to your stay.
What is the best way to look for wildlife at night? Join a guided Night Drive or Night Walk. Your guide knows where to look and how to spot eyeshine in the dark.
Plan your stay around the wildlife
Want to meet Emil, see the footage and head out on a night drive? Tell us your travel dates and we'll suggest the best cabana and the right mix of tours for your stay.
Ask Our Team to Plan Your Stay
Prefer to talk it through? Call +501-223-4419
