Forty German and French geese were recently purchased and given a new home on the front lawn of the National Palace, part of the “new look” given to the building housing the office of President Leonel Fernandez. The birds, 20 ganders and 20 geese, are designed to give a more festive look to the National Palace and its surroundings. They will be cared for by Air Force Colonel Dimas Perez Cristóstomo, who claims to have vast experience in the raising of such fowl. They will drink from newly installed fountains on the lawn of the Palace. The geese were bought from a local pet store at a cost of RD$600 per head.
In addition to the geese, the military contingent assigned to the National Palace will march with the raising of the flag each morning, also designed to change what El Nacional newspaper calls a “somber” atmosphere around the building under previous administrations.