Six rhesus monkeys and two alligators are the first exotic animals housed at the Center for the Rehabilitation of Native Species and Management of Exotic Species, in Arecibowhich will have a new home in the Parque Nacional Zoológico Arq. Manuel Valverde Podesta, in the Dominican Republic, said this Sunday the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (DRNA).
The secretary of the DRNA, Waldemar Quiles, reported that the transfer of the monkeys and alligators from the center in Cambalache is in its final stage.
“The goal at the Center for the Rehabilitation of Native Species and Management of Exotic Species of Puerto Rico is to look for an opportunity so that these exotic species can live in an optimal environment for their development. Therefore, every time one of these species is captured, the Center’s staff looks for spaces that have all the requirements for the healthy coexistence of these animals, one of those places is the National Zoological Park in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic,” Quiles said in a press release.
In October, the zoo’s general director, Nayib Auderequested the DRNA to transfer animals that are in the Center for the Rehabilitation of Native Species and Management of Exotic Species of Puerto Ricoin Arecibo, in order to “enrich the biological collections of our park for educational and conservation purposes, thus contributing to the strengthening of the environmental education, research and animal welfare programs that we promote.”
The transfer was confirmed by an official letter signed on November 27, the secretary said.
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As part of this first round of transfers, two male rhesus monkeys, four female rhesus monkeys, one male and one female alligator will be sent to Santo Domingo.
The Dominican zoo is responsible for covering the costs of relocating the species.
“We thank Dr. Aude and his work team for this opportunity. Likewise, I want to highlight the leading role that the director of our Center, Lieutenant of the Vigilante Corps Ángel Atienza, has had, who has always tried to find places for these species. This procedure has been carried out in total transparency and under the strictest regulations on the management of these species,” Quiles established.
When announcing the Dominican zoo’s interest in the animals in the hands of the DRNA, the agency detailed that, in the Cambalache facilities, there are “around 35 snakes, 14 rhesus monkeys, seven alligators and multiple birds.”
The official reaffirmed his intention to identify a home for the exotic species that are captured in Puerto Rico and recalled that the center in Cambalache suffered damage due to Hurricane María in 2017. The DRNA previously stated that rehabilitation work began in August 2024, following the specifications of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA, for its acronym in English).
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In September, the organization Animal Bond requested the Department of Justice investigate the conditions of the animals that remain in the center in Cambalache, given what they identified as potential violations of the Animal Welfare Law 154. In his letter to Justice, The entity detailed alleged unhygienic and overcrowded conditions of the species, deaths of sick animals, lack of adequate veterinary care and unexplained disappearance of snakes, among other situations.
Atienza rejected the accusations. The center is under reconstruction, the lieutenant acknowledged, due to the damage suffered in 2017, due to Hurricane María.