‘Lucky’ goes on show in Seac Pai Van Park
There are two prairie dogs in quarantine at the municipal kennels, Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) President José Maria da Fonseca Tavares said yesterday, adding that the bureau was considering putting them in a park so that the public can see the rodents native to North America and Mexico.
Tavares made the comments on the sidelines of the bureau’s press conference about its ongoing improvement project for public toilets.
The bureau said in a statement on Sunday that their staff had found a prairie dog in the public Reservoir Park on Friday. According to the statement, the bureau suspects that the prairie dog was smuggled into Macau as it’s illegal to import the species, and that it was later abandoned by its owner.
According to Tavares, it was in fact the second prairie dog the bureau has placed under quarantine. The first one was discovered by a resident in Taipa before the Chinese New Year. The first case was reported to the bureau by the local Society for the Protection of Animals (ANIMA).
The two prairie dogs are currently in quarantine at the city’s kennels, Tavares said, pointing out that the bureau was looking for a suitable place for the prairie dogs to live, such as Seac Pai Van Park or Flora Garden, and that the bureau would announce its decision on their future home in due course.
Tavares stressed that in Macau it’s prohibited to import, acquire, feed or own prairie dogs, urging residents not to smuggle the squirrel-like animals into the city.
As for the ox that escaped from the slaughterhouse in Ilha Verde in December last year, Tavares said that after the bullock completed his quarantine period recently, the bureau has moved him to an enclosure in Seac Pai Van Park. Tavares said the public were welcome to visit the bovine there.
A naming campaign by The Macau Post Daily in December came up with “Lucky” as the most popular name for the ox after his lucky escape from the abattoir.
This handout photo downloaded from the website of the Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) yesterday shows “Lucky” under quarantine at the Oscar Farm in Coloane last December.
