Officials To Transfer Animals, Drop Probe On Puerto Rico Zoo

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Federal authorities said Wednesday they had suspended all investigations into the only zoo in Puerto Rico where multiple species have died, saying the decision came after reaching an agreement with local authorities to relocate the animals in mainland sanctuaries in the United States. . .

The announcement angered many activists who have long fought to hold the U.S. government accountable for the death of Dr. Juan A. For more than a decade of recorded animal deaths and health issues at the Rivera Zoo.

"We can't change what's happened in the past," said US Attorney Stephen Muldrow. "The animals are dead."

However, he stressed that going to court would only delay the transfer of the zoo's remaining animals, which number around 300, ranging from a tarantula to a solitary elephant.

"Animal welfare is the number one priority," Muldrow said at a news conference.

He added that violations at the zoo have been going on for "many years" and "several departments have been unable to ensure animal welfare".

It was an institutional problem as well as a lack of resources, he said. "No animals were intentionally harmed."

But activists say an end to the federal investigation means impunity prevails and there will be no justice for dead or sick animals.

"We've asked the federal government to investigate the abuses," said Cristian Rios, an attorney and chair of the Puerto Rican Bar Association's animal rights committee. Leave a bad taste in your mouth.

Over the past decade, a government-appointed commission noted the deaths of two pumas and raised concerns about an underweight chimpanzee, a lame rhino named Felipe, and the absence of habitat animals including kangaroos and porcupines.

In January, Nina, an American black bear who had stopped eating, died of a heart attack at the age of 20. Black bears can live up to 35 years in captivity.

Meanwhile, officials had to put down a cougar that was diagnosed with cancer last week, according to Muldrow.

Nearly all of the animals will be relocated within the next six months, he said, noting that two eagles have already been removed because the zoo didn't have a license to care for them, and that two owls and two anacondas have also been relocated. another. places on the island.

Pat Craig, executive director of the Texas Wildlife Sanctuary in Colorado, told the Associated Press earlier this month that the organization will adopt up to 50 percent of the zoo's animals.

However, it is not yet known where some of the animals have gone, including the lone elephant called "Mundi". Muldrow said officials are trying to find homes for the elephants because they are a social species and should be kept in groups.

The zoo, which opened in 1954, has been closed since hurricanes Irma and Maria hit Puerto Rico in September 2017.