Puerto Rico's only zoo opened in Mayagüez in 1954, named for its founder and first director Dr. Juan A. Rivero, and ran for nearly seven decades on 45 acres. Hurricane Maria closed it to the public in 2017. What followed — funding shortfalls, animal welfare violations, federal permit revocation — ended in permanent closure in 2023. The animals were relocated to sanctuaries across the United States. The site is now planned for transformation into an environmental research center operated by the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources.
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