Abstract

There is clear evidence for the introduction of Old World mammals to the West Indies from the very first human appearance in the region. The mammals concerned were several species of African, Eurasian and Oriental origin, including monkeys, lagomorphs, carnivores, deer, commensal and non-commensal rodents, and possibly hedgehogs. Starting with the introduction of the dog in pre-Columbian times, the story of all these animals in the New World is intimately bound up with the early European settlements in America, the origins of West Indian slaves and the transatlantic routes from the sixteenth century up to the twentieth century. It is important not to overlook the crucial role played by the Caribbean islands as a slave entrepôt and a historic vital link in the international trade between Europe, Africa and the Americas.