He Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (DRNA) reported that it captured 169 boa constrictors between September 2 and October 18which remain in the Center for the Rehabilitation of Native Species and Management of Exotic Species of Puerto Rico, located in the Cambalache Forest, in Arecibo.
The snakes are part of the inventory of animals housed in the facility, according to the DRNA secretary, Waldemar Quilesand the lieutenant of the Vigilante Corps Angel Atienzadirector of the center.
In a press release, Quiles attributed the increase in animals in the facility to the capture operations carried out in recent weeks by the Vigilante Corps.
In addition to the boa constrictors, the center keeps under its care 34 aquatic turtles, 19 parrots, 24 pigeons of four species, 12 rhesus monkeys and four pawed monkeys.
The inventory also includes one land hedgehog, two macaws, five land tortoises, nine alligators, one tegu lizard, nine ball pythons and one native boa.
The facility also cares for a snake and a Puerto Rican racer snake under recovery protocols.as part of an expansion of its functions to rehabilitate native fauna.
“Last year, the Center’s mission changed to add the care and rehabilitation of native species. We are more than a center that houses animals, now we are a facility that seeks to restore species in poor health to return them to their natural habitat,” Atienza said in written statements.
The center was created in 2003 to address the increase in exotic species, including invasive ones, in Puerto Rico. Its original mission was to capture and keep them while managing their transfer to facilities in states in the United States.
In September 2025, the DRNA expanded that mission to include the rehabilitation and care of native species.
“This new approach for the Center, which for the first time in its history includes native species, has made it easier for us to establish a new culture of conservation of these species, vital for the ecosystem in Puerto Rico,” said Quiles.