Jamaica’s Agriculture, Fisheries, and Mining Minister Floyd Green has addressed mounting concerns from veterinary professionals regarding the government’s handling of animal rescue operations following Hurricane Melissa. The controversy emerged after Minister Green’s December 3 media briefing created the impression that government-led aerial reconnaissance missions had directly rescued and facilitated international relocation for 58 dogs affected by the late October hurricane.
At a Jamaica Observer Press Club event on December 16, 2025, Minister Green acknowledged the communication error, describing it as “an unfortunate conflation of two separate things.” The minister specifically sought to reassure Jamaicans who had lost pets during the hurricane that no animals were taken abroad without proper protocols.
The clarification comes after clinical veterinarians Dr. Sarah Wilkinson-Eytle and Dr. Paul Cadogan challenged the initial narrative. According to their professional assessment, the dogs transported to the United States and Canada were already housed at the Negril Pup Rescue shelter prior to Hurricane Melissa’s landfall on Jamaica’s southwestern coast.
Dr. Wilkinson-Eytle of Phoenix VetCare explained that the ministry’s role was strictly administrative: “What happened was that the ministry, along with the International Fund for Animal Welfare, had to accelerate that movement post-Melissa because the shelter sustained damage. All the ministry did was facilitate paperwork so that the export permits and veterinary inspections could be completed expediently.
Both veterinarians confirmed that government veterinary personnel did participate in aerial surveys with the Jamaica Defence Force, but these missions focused exclusively on assessing storm impact on agricultural animals and identifying areas with large concentrations of animal casualties—not rescuing stranded pets.
Minister Green expressed regret over the misleading narrative, emphasizing the government’s collaborative relationship with animal welfare organizations like Montego Bay Animal Haven and Humane World for Animals. He clarified that while the Veterinary Services Division plays a crucial regulatory role in animal exports, the actual rescue and rehoming efforts are primarily conducted by specialized non-governmental organizations.