‘We Found Our Purpose Through Pain’: British Twins Find Healing in Belize’s Crocodiles

“I named it Mani, after Manialtepec Lagoon, where my accident happened.” Melissa Laurie isn’t talking about a pet. She is talking about a crocodile she hand-caught off the side of a boat in Belize. It is five years after another crocodile nearly killed her in Mexico.

Melissa and her sister Georgia Laurie are just days away from completing a two-month conservation programme with the Crocodile Research Coalition (CRC) in Belize. From conducting nighttime surveys and monitoring nests to restoring mangroves and catching crocodiles for research, the twin sisters have spent the fifth anniversary of the June 6, 2021, crocodile attack in Mexico transforming trauma into purpose and replacing fear with a deeper understanding of the species that forever changed their lives.

Five years ago, Melissa was swimming in the Manialtepec Lagoon near Puerto Escondido when a crocodile dragged her underwater. Her twin sister Georgia says she remembers punching the reptile off her before it finally let go. Melissa needed treatment for sepsis after the wounds became infected. Georgia later received a bravery medal from King Charles in December 2024, one of the first names on his Civilian Gallantry List.

Now the sisters, 33, from Sandhurst, Berkshire, have chosen to return to a crocodile habitat, to learn more about the same species that once nearly killed one of them.

“We wanted to do something really special and meaningful to mark the five-year anniversary,” Georgia said. Their search led them to Belize and the CRC, where they completed the organisation’s conservation programme under the guidance of founder and crocodile researcher Dr Marisa Tellez.

For Melissa, returning to a crocodile habitat on June 6, the exact date of the attack, proved to be one of the most emotional moments of the trip.

“All of a sudden, I just had this wave of emotion hit me because the scenery was so similar to that day,” Melissa recalled. “I was thinking, five years ago, this was the worst day of my life, and now I feel the safest I have ever felt. It almost healed a part of me I didn’t know needed healing.”

The programme gave the sisters an intimate look at crocodiles beyond the fear and headlines. Melissa even caught a young crocodile dangling off the side of the boat while CRC’s Tellez held her legs. She later named it “Mani”, after the Mexican lagoon where she was attacked.

The twins have done community outreach; nocturnal eye-shine counts to track crocodile populations around Placencia Lagoon; and helped catch and process a crocodile for research, taking body measurements and stool samples used to track mercury levels and the health of the surrounding water.

“I think through doing this, I’ve realised how important conservation is actually to me,” Georgia said. “The trauma of the crocodile attack comes into play for me raising awareness about mental health and trauma and PTSD… We’ve had some moments where it’s taken us back to that day. Yeah. But it just takes time to process.”

Tellez, who has run CRC for years, said she has seen the same pattern in survivors of shark attacks. “You see a lot of people that get bit by a shark, and they become some of the biggest advocates,” she said and reminded everyone that crocodiles are creatures that were once revered rather than feared across much of human history.

Both sisters say the crocodile that attacked Melissa was not at fault. “It was protecting its babies,” Georgia said. “Like I was protecting Mel; it was protecting its babies.”

“With your fight or flight response, people say, like, ‘Oh, I don’t think I could do that,’ but you have this deep reservoir of strength within you that never comes out in your day-to-day nine-to-five life,” Georgia added. “It’s a very visceral reaction, like we will do anything to survive and to protect people that we love, and in that moment, love overwhelmed fear. That was the strongest thing.”

The twins leave Belize on Monday, and although Georgia is leaving with a broken hand, not from a crocodile bite, she’s taking with her the depth of knowledge about crocodiles and knowing she’s in for more years of advocacy next to her sister to continue their work in mental health and educating people about the importance of respecting wildlife.

“We found our purpose through pain, and it’s like in a way this was meant to happen because we feel like we are strong voices for crocodiles,” Melissa added.