SANTO DOMINGO. - Environment minister Jaime David Fernandez Mirabal on Monday said the effects of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill have already begun to be felt in the country, although in his view don’t pose a threat for the country yet.

He said given the spread of the spill it has affected the ocean since it began five weeks ago, including migratory birds which come to Dominican territory to nest.

Fernandez Mirabal affirmed that on the island Beata, the country’s most southwesterly tip, a booby was found with its legs stained with oil, but noted that the oil spill doesn’t pose a threat because the Gulf’s current runs northwards.

The official, speaking in press conference to announce the activities to mark World Environment Day which is celebrated tomorrow, didn’t discard some type of effect from the spill because “we are in a global village.”