A prairie dog was found in the public Reservoir Park on Friday, the Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) said in a statement on Sunday, adding that the rodent was possibly smuggled into the city and later abandoned by its owner.
The statement said that the prairie dog has been taken to the Macau Municipal Kennel, pointing out that the animal is healthy and currently in quarantine after inspection by a vet.
According to the IAM statement, prairie dogs belong to the squirrel genus. They are part of the local government’s category of animals prohibited to be imported, acquired or fed.
Since prairie dogs are not a local native species and there is no record of how the animal came to Macau, the statement said that the bureau suspected that it was smuggled into Macau and later abandoned.
The statement said that due to the animal’s suspected illegal entry into Macau, the bureau has informed the police to investigate the case.
The bureau did not say whether the animal will be displayed to the public.
According to Wikipedia, prairie dogs are a type of ground squirrel native to the United States, Canada and Mexico. Highly social, they live in large colonies known as “towns”. In captivity, prairie dogs can live up to 10 years.Golden snub-nosed monkey born in Seac Pai Van
Meanwhile, Macau’s golden snub-nosed monkey family at Seac Pai Van Park in Coloane welcomed a new member on Valentine’s Day.
According to separate statement by the bureau late last month, the mother is taking “very good” care of her infant, and the bureau’s animal husbandry and veterinary team is closely monitoring the health of the infant to provide proper care.
The statement said that when the condition allows, the bureau would arrange for the golden monkey family to meet the public, adding that details would be announced in due course.
In Chinese, the primates are known as golden silk monkeys. They are endangered, according to the official conservation status, inhabiting temperate mountainous forests in central and south-west China.
The handout photos downloaded from the website of the Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) yesterday show the “abandoned” prairie dog rescued by IAM officials from the public Reservoir Park last week and the mother and her baby of Macau’s golden snub-nosed monkey family in Seac Pai Van Park last month.
