Latest update November 21st, 2024 1:00 AM
Where are the stray catchers? Negative reports affecting Ministry initiative
Recent embarrassing exposures appear to have put a temporary halt to the Ministry of Home Affairs’ stray catching programme.
Incidence of animals dying while in the custody of the police at several pounds and allegations of wrongful impounding of animals have bedeviled the programme.
While the initiative was bearing some fruit, these days have seen a return to the wanton roaming of cattle along the roadways, much to the annoyance of motorists.
With rainy weather already being experienced, motorists are of the view that only until an accident involving cattle occurs that the programme will be re-intensified.
Cattle have returned to the roadways of Guyana following the relaxing of stray catching.
But the Ministry and the police are still a far way from addressing some of the teething problems, such as care of impounded animals at the police pounds.
Only recently a cow, which was involved in an accident on the East Coast of Demerara, was left to die while in the custody of the police at the Cove and John Police Station.
This newspaper understands that in cases where animals are injured as a result of an accident and are detained by the police, they should be immediately examined by a veterinarian once summoned by the police.
In the recent case, the police have claimed that they did summon a veterinary officer who indicated that he was unable to respond immediately.
Eventually an entire day passed and the animal perished as a result of the injuries it had suffered.
Then there is the issue of animals impounded by the ministry’s stray catching teams and taken to the police station.
While the law requires that cattle be branded by the owners, most strays on the roads are not, since the owners are of the impression that they will not be implicated in the event of an accident that causes damage to property.
“Most of the animals on the roads are not branded, so when they are impounded, no one comes forward to claim them, especially jackasses and horses,” a Ministry of Home Affairs source said.
According to the law, the owner of an impounded animal has a given time frame to reclaim it after paying a fee of $5000.
However, if that period expires the animal becomes the property of the state and can be disposed of through public auction.
But what happens while the animals are in the state’s care? Who is responsible for their upkeep?
While the owners of impounded cows have been claiming their animals, jackasses and horses, especially those that are unbranded, have been left in the pounds for indefinite periods.
As a result, these animals have been locked up in police pounds for more than two weeks, in most cases, without water and proper food.
“A policeman can’t go and cut grass for these animals. Police are not being paid to cut grass to feed animals,” the source said.
Although there have been some criticisms of the stray catching programme, the Home Affairs Minister defended it as being very successful.
“People want to see this programme fail and they are making all kinds of allegations. But the programme is highly successful,” Rohee stated.
Last September the Stray Catching Unit sent a strong message that they mean business, when they arrested a young East Coast Demerara resident for interfering with their work.
The young man was attempting to chase away cattle that the stray catchers were trying to impound, as they resumed operations on the East Coast of Demerara.
Minister Rohee had issued a stern warning that persons who attempt to interfere with the work of the stray catchers will face the full force of the law.
Meanwhile, in August cattle rearers in Herstelling, East Bank Demerara had called on the Ministry of Home Affairs to investigate the stray catchers whom they allege are willfully cutting the ropes securing their cattle and then impounding their animals.
According to Lilowattie Ramkarran, frustration has reached its peak, since she constantly has to find money to either have her cattle let out of the pound or keep a constant eye on them, because of stray catchers cutting them loose and carrying them to the pound. This sentiment was also shared with most of the other cattle owners in the village.
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