26/09/2026
🐍🚨 PUERTO RICO LAWMAKER PROPOSES 5-YEAR MORATORIUM ON EXOTIC SPECIES
San Juan, Puerto Rico — September 25, 2026 — Representative Adriana Gutiérrez Colón of the Puerto Rican Independence Party (PIP), together with Sahir Pujols, spokesperson for Vínculo Animal Puerto Rico, announced a legislative initiative proposing a five-year moratorium on the importation, introduction, purchase, sale, and reproduction of exotic species in Puerto Rico.
Supporters of the proposal say the moratorium would provide time to strengthen biosecurity, protect Puerto Rico’s biodiversity, review existing regulations, and develop more effective prevention and response mechanisms.
“Puerto Rico cannot continue to operate as an open market for the introduction and reproduction of exotic species without seriously evaluating the consequences this has for our ecosystems,” Gutiérrez Colón said. She described the proposed moratorium as a temporary pause to assess regulations and establish stronger prevention and control measures.
The legislation would also create a Scientific Committee on Animal Welfare and Exotic Species, composed of specialists in biodiversity, ecology, veterinary medicine, animal welfare, and conservation. The committee would advise the government on risk assessments and public policy.
Vínculo Animal Puerto Rico has also contacted several federal agencies involved in species control, wildlife, trade, and the entry of animals into Puerto Rico, including DHS, CBP, USDA-APHIS, USFWS, NISC, and USPS.
The organization is calling for greater coordination between federal agencies and Puerto Rican authorities, as well as stronger protocols for inspection, prevention, early detection, and response to exotic and potentially invasive species.
Pujols emphasized that Puerto Rico’s status as an island makes its ecosystems particularly vulnerable and argued that prevention should become a public-policy priority.
🐾 The organization reported that it has collected more than 1,000 signatures in support of the proposed moratorium.
Animal-rights organizations are also expected to gather at the Puerto Rico Capitol on October 4 at 10:00 a.m. for World Animal Day. According to Pujols, the groups plan to call for stronger animal and environmental protections, including the proposed moratorium and enforcement of Law 54.
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