Wildlife in the DR

R

RonS

Bronze
Oct 18, 2004
1,457
65
48
Todays' DR1 Daily News reports a reforestation project in which the Environmental Minister is taking great pride. Is he justified in doing so?

I split my travel primarily between the DR and Costa Rica and I have been very impressed with the CR governments' policies in protecting the rainforests and wildlife. Can someone tell me, or provide some reference material regarding, the wildlife that populated Hispanola before it disappeared (with the notable exception of the Iguana in the SW and sea creatures, of course). Thanks.
 
M

margaret

Bronze
Aug 9, 2006
1,222
99
48
RonS said:
Can someone tell me, or provide some reference material regarding, the wildlife that populated Hispanola before it disappeared (with the notable exception of the Iguana in the SW and sea creatures, of course). Thanks.
Click to expand...

You could try the Centro de Leon Web site. They used to have some PDFs to download, I can't find them now.
 
T

Texas Bill

Silver
Feb 11, 2003
2,174
26
0
97
www.texasbill.com
I've lived here since 2000 and have only observed a few avian types of "wildlife". Occasionally, I have seen a "ferret-like" creature crossing the roadways, but nothing else except the mice and rats.
I am not familiar with any forms of indigenous or "transferred" types of wildlife currently in evidence. I suppose they have all been "killed off" by the current inhabitants as either food or pests.

Texas Bill
 
C

Chirimoya

Well-known member
Dec 9, 2002
17,850
982
113
There was never much in the way of wildlife on the island in terms of mammals compared to the Central/South American mainland - no monkeys, big cats, sloths, etc. I think the main wild mammals here - apart from the humpback whales and manatees - are the solenodon, the huron/jur?n (ferret/weasel like creature sometimes seen running across rural roads) and the hut?a (a large rodent).

The real richness and diversity is in birds, insects and reptiles. I also wonder which species have been lost.
 
J

John Evans

Guest
I think the creatures crossing the roads are more likely to be mongoose,geese or gooses not the elusive solendon or hutia
 
R

RonS

Bronze
Oct 18, 2004
1,457
65
48
Thanks for all the great responses! After reading about the reforestation project I wondered if it were possible to reintroduce some indigenous species of wildlife.
 
J

John Evans

Guest
sorry to speak i know you dont like new people contributing,,,i will go back to my hut
 
R

RonS

Bronze
Oct 18, 2004
1,457
65
48
John Evans said:
sorry to speak i know you dont like new people contributing,,,i will go back to my hut
Click to expand...

We were all new people once, John. Certainly hasn't caused me to retreat. lol. Hang in there. DR1ers are great people and generous with information I doubt you'll find anywhere else.
 
C

Chirimoya

Well-known member
Dec 9, 2002
17,850
982
113
I don't think you read my post:

Chirimoya said:
I think the main wild mammals here - apart from the humpback whales and manatees - are the solenodon, the huron/jur?n (ferret/weasel like creature sometimes seen running across rural roads) and the hut?a (a large rodent).
Click to expand...
-in response to which you posted:

John Evans said:
I think the creatures crossing the roads are more likely to be mongoose,geese or gooses not the elusive solendon or hutia
Click to expand...
- which implies that you thought I was saying that the solenodon and jut?a were sometimes seen crossing the road, so I replied:

Chiri said:
Never said it was. It's the jur?n/hur?n. The solenodon and hut?a are rarely seen.
Click to expand...
- and this clarification provokes this wounded reply:

John Evans said:
sorry to speak i know you dont like new people contributing,,,i will go back to my hut
Click to expand...
-If I do like or dislike posters it's not on the basis of post count, but on what they contribute to the discussion and the board in general. Oh, and the courtesy to actually take the time to read and absorb the contents of the posts they are replying to.
 
Hillbilly

Hillbilly

Moderator
Jan 1, 2002
18,948
514
113
Regarding the hur?n/jur?n: It was an introduced species, and it was under the mistaken idea that they would attack the rats that were damaging the sugar cane. Problem was that there was no such thing as an environmental study carried out before the introduction and people did not know about the interaction between species.

Sooooo, it turned out that rats are nocturnal creatures and hurones are daytime creatures, and the only time that they might cross paths was as one of them came or went to work....

Result: More hurones and more rats.

And this happened in Hawaii, too....

The "sapo Bogaert" is another example of an introduced species. The very large frog--quite like the bullfrog of North America--was brought in to eat mosquitoes, which it does quite well...

The solenodon is terribly threatened and might well be extinct. Its habitat is threatened more each day. I have never even seen a hut?a...

HB
 
PICHARDO

PICHARDO

One Dominican at a time, please!
May 15, 2003
13,280
893
113
Santiago de Los 30 Caballeros
The solenodon is not extinct, yet, in the DR...
This particular thingy was most common to be spotted in the Artibonito (Massacre River) region. Due to the ongoing disforestation by Haitians that don't know any better way to cook, the habitat of this creature is under serious problems.

A joint effort funded in part by the EU and Canadian gov is looking to replant trees in the river's bank and immediate area. The DR has made great effort to help the green covers of our barren areas come alive again; planting of new trees and a gamut of local and introduced species is under way since 1997 with millions of trees per year.

Sadly enough, Haitians would eat anything that moves in the wild, even if it's known to be not edible... The Solenodon is not free from becoming part of the casual meal in those homes...

The DR owns some beautiful parks and reserves, where many endemic species make their home in the island. The most numerous are the birds...

Recent development close to those areas only makes them prone to abuse and exploitation by crooks. It's the same case wherever pristine jungle and forest exists in the world are linked by well traveled roads that miscreants can use to exploit them...

I can recall in the early 60's you could spot an endemic owl species that took to the skies in the twilight of the afternoon-night to start the hunting. It was a great sight in Santiago...

The same happened to the criollo pigs, which became statistics of the pork fever in the island...
 
PICHARDO

PICHARDO

One Dominican at a time, please!
May 15, 2003
13,280
893
113
Santiago de Los 30 Caballeros
http://www.scs.ryerson.ca/aferworn/research/sol.jpg
Solenodon

http://webs.uvigo.es/lnavarro/adulfaro.jpg
Rhinoceros iguana

http://www.diariohorizonte.com/articlefiles/3987-iguana de Ricord.jpg
Ricord iguana

http://www.fishtaxidermist.com/leatherback.jpg
Leatherback turtle

http://www.fishtaxidermist.com/loggerhead30.jpg
Loggerhead turtle

http://www.fishtaxidermist.com/hawkspill.jpg
hawksbill turtle

http://www.fishtaxidermist.com/turtle3.jpg
Green Sea turtle

http://www.geocities.com/birdsofhispaniola/HISP-TROG-FRONT.jpg
Hispaniolan trogon

http://www.geocities.com/birdsofhispaniola/GR-ANTILLEAN-BULLFINCH.jpg
EL Gallito Prieto

http://www.geocities.com/birdsofhispaniola/HISP-PARAKEET.jpg
Hispaniolan Parakeet



Some of the ones found in the DR....
 
Last edited by a moderator:
PICHARDO

PICHARDO

One Dominican at a time, please!
May 15, 2003
13,280
893
113
Santiago de Los 30 Caballeros
http://www.geocities.com/birdsofhispaniola/HISP-PARROT-1.jpg
Hispaniolan parrot

http://www.geocities.com/birdsofhispaniola/VILLAGE-WEAVER-MALE.jpg
Village Weaver

http://www.geocities.com/birdsofhispaniola/PALM-CHATS.jpg
national bird of the DR "Palm Chat (Dulus Dominicus)"

http://www.geocities.com/birdsofhispaniola/BURROWING-OWL.jpg
Burrowing Owl

http://www.kingsnake.com/westindian/plagiodontiaaedium3.JPG
Hispaniolan Hutia

http://www.manateetoursusa.com/images/MTDpicsmisc/marinoman6.jpg
West Indian Manatee
 
Last edited by a moderator:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom