The Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (DRNA) reported that its Species Rehabilitation and Exotic Species Management Center, located in the Cambalache Forest in Arecibo, holds 169 boas constrictoras captured since September 2. DRNA Secretary Waldemar Quiles announced the inventory, which also lists 34 aquatic turtles, 19 Puerto Rican parrots, 24 pigeons in four different species, 12 rhesus macaques, 4 patas monkeys, a tenrec, two macaws, five land turtles, nine caimans, a tegu lizard, nine ball pythons and one native boa.
Quiles said the Corps of Rangers continues to handle exotic species, native and invasive alike, and that frequent capture operations have substantially increased the inventory in recent weeks. Center director Ángel Atienza said the center’s mission changed last year to add the care and rehabilitation of native species, aiming to restore animals in poor health and return them to their natural habitat.
Under recovery protocols are a screech owl, a native boa and a Puerto Rican racer snake. The center was created in 2003 to deal with rising numbers of exotic and invasive species, initially holding them while seeking homes in US states; in September 2025 Quiles added rehabilitation of these species to its mission, and the new focus now includes native species vital to Puerto Rico’s ecosystem.