Dominican Republic
National Parks
In the Dominican Republic, twenty percent of land has been reserved for conservation, to ensure that visitors can experience the incredible ecological diversity of the island. In total, the Dominican Republic has 19 national parks, 6 nature reserves and 2 marine sanctuaries that are considered the best places to see local wildlife. One of them is Los Haitises National Park near Samaná, famous for its mangrove coasts and the Fun Fun Cave.
Cabritos Island National Park is surrounded by Lake Enriquello - the largest salt water lake in the Caribbean and the lowest point in the Dominican Republic (44 meters below sea level). Here American crocodiles, iguanas and flamingos are found in large amounts.
The Marine Mammal Sanctuary of the Dominican Republic is located near Samana, between Banco Navidad and Samana Bay. The sanctuary covers the largest area in the world for courtship, mating, and birth of humpback whales. More information.
Nature parks and zoos
The Ocean World Adventure Park, Marina & Casino is located near Puerto Plata. It is a marina, an amusement park and a dolphinarium that offers all kinds of interactions with dolphins and other animals. The center has attracted criticism from many animal and wildlife defense organizations due to its large number of animal shows and anti-natural and dangerous activities such as swimming in a pool with a tiger. For more information click here and here.
Stray cats and dogs
There are large numbers of stray animals in the Dominican Republic, which often live in very bad conditions. The stray cat and dog populations are controlled by unregulated mass culling which usually involves very cruel slaughter methods. If you find these animals, you can help them by giving them some food or water, but avoiding close contact with them in order to avoid contagious illnesses. Before traveling you can find the contacts of local animal protection NGOs to inform them in case you find very ill animals or victims of animal abuse, or in case you want to make a donation. More information.
Dolphinariums
In this country you can also find centers which keep cetaceans (dolphins, killer whales or beluga whales) in captivity. Science has shown that these intelligent animals suffer greatly in the limiting conditions of dolphinariums and their stress levels and mortality rates are very high.
The training of these animals for circus shows where they perform totally unnatural behaviours, and which can harm them physically, is achieved through keeping the animals in a permanent state of hunger so that they act in exchange for a piece of dead fish.
Condemned by their facial structure, which resembles a human smile, these highly social animals, which would swim long distances and dive into great depths in the wild, are used to perform stunts in small concrete tanks. Many of these individuals are taken from the wild. More information.
Here is a list of local NGOs that can be contacted in case you want to make a donation, a complaint or find an animal that needs help in the Dominican Republic:?
Dogs & Cats of the Dominican Republic
Rescátame Fundación Protectora de Animales, Punta Cana
