Dominican Republic's Zoo Offers Home for Confiscated Animals as Seizures of Exotic Species Soar
Veterinarians are feeding and testing the animals as officials warn the seizures could overwhelm the country’s lone zoo.
- The National Zoological Park in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, is serving as a sanctuary for exotic animals seized during a government crackdown on illegal wildlife ownership and smuggling.
- Nelson Garcia Marcano, head of the Department of Wildlife Regulation and Control, reports a surge in illegal ownership, noting that "people like to copy what they find attractive and beautiful." Protected flamingos are frequently snatched from natural habitats to be sold as garden ornaments.
- Veterinarian Tatiana Carreno Pinto notes the park now receives a much wider range of species than before. Deputy director Alfonso Ferreira says caring for animals, which often suffer from improper diets, strains zoo resources and requires territorial isolation for crocodiles.
- Under a cooperation deal reached last year, the zoo is preparing to accept exotic animals confiscated in neighboring Puerto Rico, including caimans seized from suspected drug traffickers, as Puerto Rico struggles with an overload of nearly 100 animals seized over the July 4 weekend alone.
- Authorities have confiscated more than 8,900 species so far this year, prompting the government to launch educational campaigns and enforcement operations aimed at curbing the illegal trade of protected wildlife across the Caribbean nation.
15 Articles
15 Articles
Associated Press News
Dominican Republic's zoo offers home for confiscated animals as seizures of exotic species soar
Confiscated illegal and smuggled animals are finding a new life in the Dominican Republic. Tucked into a green oasis in the middle of the capital, Santo Domingo, are crocodiles, flamingos, and even tigers, that officials have confiscated from people accused of illegally keeping them.
Dominican Zoo Shelters Seized Wildlife Animals
The Dominican Republic’s only zoo is providing a safe haven for a growing number of wild animals seized during a government crackdown on illegal ownership and smuggling. The National Zoological Park in Santo Domingo is now caring for crocodiles, flamingos, tigers and other animals confiscated from people accused of keeping them illegally. Officials say the rising number of seizures is putting pressure on the country’s only zoo. Authorities seize…
The only zoo in the Dominican Republic is offering shelter to confiscated illegal and smuggled animals, while the government's offensive to protect exotic species is gaining momentum.
Police of the Special Operations Squadron arrested a man at the Electricistas colony in Guadalajara, after passing a red light. When inspecting the vehicle, the officers found a cardboard box with plastic bottles containing 53 exotic animals, remaining at the disposal of the FGR.
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