Spanish
Santo Domingo.– The National Zoological Park (Zoodom) denied this Wednesday the circulation of information that claimed that the country would receive venomous snakes and other dangerous species as part of a donation from a wildlife rescue center in Puerto Rico.
The institution described those versions as "malicious" and warned that this type of rumor affects the image of the Dominican Republic as a nation free of venomous animals of native origin.You may be interested in: Las Galeras prohibits the circulation of loose animals after traffic accidents
According to Zoodom, the request made to the rescue center only includes caimans, ring-necked parakeets and rhesus monkeys, species that will be integrated into conservation and educational exhibition programs. Regarding rhesus monkeys, the National Zoo clarified that no case of herpes transmission to humans has been recorded in Puerto Rico, and that the specimens seized in that territory were used for photographs with tourists, which is why they were rescued. The institution also reported that, as part of the mandatory regulatory process, they are already managing with the General Directorate of Livestock the zoosanitary permit and the non-objection permit issued by the Ministry of Environment, essential requirements for the importation of any animal species to Dominican territory. The Zoodom reiterated its commitment to the protection of biodiversity and to transparency in the processes of acquisition and exchange of fauna, while calling on the population not to be carried away by unverified information.
