Leonel "Chocolate" Heredia passed away a month ago at the age of 83. In July, to coincide with his birthday, his family plans to take his remains to scatter them in the Noh Mul reserve.
As we told you at the time of his passing, Chocolate Heredia was a giant of the conservation movement, and a hero and inspiration to many, all this from a man who never went to school. Before his death, the old fisherman told Sundog Films about what he thought to be an incredible life.
Leonel "Chocolate" Heredia
"In 2002 I declared nine thousand acres of wildlife of the manatees; I don't know how I did it but here I am in places that I never believed one day I would be. Every time I remember that what I did - its a little history in my life that maybe even the last hours of my life I will remember as the time when I found Swallow Caye and when I found it I was a fisherman and I saw one twisting up and then I took the dowry and I went close and I saw this thing coming out from the manatee and inside the bag I saw the little manatee and she turned around and hit it and brought it to her breast; my tears came to my eyes because I was standing there with a small boat watching this first animal deliver the first one and from then it continued and from then people from San Pedro started to go there, chase them and cut them and then I got involved and then we started to fight and then when I wanted to declare Swallow Caye I told my wife and the first thing she said you have to do is learn to read and write; I said 'yeah' and that is why today I can read and write; my name went way on the top for what I did there and in 2002 it was declared; nine thousand acres of wildlife. When I declared Swallow Caye I only had three animals and how much animals do you think I got from 2002 until now? I got hundred animals, why? Because we took care of them. I didn't go to school. I was scared many times that I had to go to represent and I did not have the education because I always tell kids that education the number one thing because I think that education is like when you are dying and this is the only pill to revive you and sometimes I want to believe that there should be more people with passion because I would like to see a ball of people fighting for the rights of all wildlife and always look to the back if you have grandchildren coming and say 'Tata' I will take care of this for my children to have something to do."
The Film is part of a documentary Sundog Films is doing about Caye Caulker. You can find a link to it at 7newsbelize.com
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