in any event, the governor's operation failed to stop smuggling in the region. the destruction of about 120 herds of cattle, which totaled more than 100,000 cattle, cows, pigs and horses, proved to be disastrous, since only 15% of the cattle could be moved to new locations, while the rest were abandoned. within a short time, these herds turned wild. moreover, the destruction of the mills and trapiches accelerated the decline of the sugar industry which, added to the loss of livestock and plantations of cane and ginger, increased poverty on the island and removed santo domingo to the margins of colonial trade. the depopulation of the northwestern part of hispaniola was taken advantage of by black slaves who, fleeing from their masters, settled in that region. runaway slaves came not only from the island itself, but also from neighboring cuba and puerto rico. likewise, the evacuation of half of hispaniola did not cause this territory to be forgotten, as the crown had wished, but rather it fell upon the mercy of foreigners who benefitted greatly from the cattle and other fruits of the land left behind by the spaniards. finally, the misery that was generated after the osorio devastations also affected the tax revenues of the colony, to the point that these were no longer enough to cover bureaucratic expenses nor the maintenance of the armed forces in santo domingo.