No poisonous snakes in DR

[NewsWhore]

The Minister of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarena), Jaime David Fernandez Mirabal, denies the existence of any venomous snakes in the Dominican Republic, specifically in Villa Gonzalez, west of Santiago de los Caballeros, adding that there were no snakes that are harmful to humans in any part of the DR. As he headed up the second tree-planting campaign in Santiago's Central Park, the former Vice-President said that the Boa Hispaniola is endemic to the island and its presence is beneficial, as it does not harm anyone (except for rats and unwary chickens). He said that in organic cacao plantations and in a more general sense, in agriculture, the Boa Hispaniola or green snake acts as a natural insecticide because it eats rats and woodpeckers. He called upon the population to protect its existence. The question came up after a press release from the Spanish news agency EFE that said there was a possibility that poisonous snakes existed in the country.

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