Matola was hired by filmmaker Richard Foster in 1982 to care for 20 animals being used in the making of a wildlife documentary film. When shooting of the film was completed, she was left to decide how to dispose of the animals, then habituated to humans and couldn't be released in the wild. So, Matola thought perhaps she could start a zoo and hung signs out on the road and waited to see who would show up. She soon realized what Belizeans knew about Belizean wildlife at the time was often more myth than fact and were unaware that country's deteriorating habitat threatened their populations. Matola understood that people are more likely to value their natural resources, if they met the animals that depended on them for their survival. She set out to build a zoo. With the blessing of the Government of Belize, who could not offer financial support, she began raising money from environmental groups.