Latest update February 14th, 2025 8:22 AM
Cattle rustling costing Corentyne farmers million$$$
Cattle farmers in the Corentyne, Berbice area are lamenting the increasing incidents of cattle rustling by cattle thieves who are not only chasing away their animals but are slaughtering them and leaving their carcasses in the pastures.
Speaking to the media recently, several farmers aired their disgust about the problem.
“My brother-in-law gave me a call that somebody was stealing his cattle and when we go, we saw three persons chasing the cows…they run away in the bush and my brother-in-law recognized them and we called the police,” stated Ghanesh Amar Singh of Don Robin Farm, who complained about losing over eight heads of cattle within
Cattle in the savannah areas along the Corentyne
recent times.
“My brother-in-law has over 130 heads [of cattle] and we have over 60 heads of cattle,” he added.
Steve Saul, another cattle farmer, managed to thwart another attempt by men trying to steal his cattle. “I rushed them and they run in the bush and I called for back-up and I recognized one of them. This is not the first or second time, last three weeks they carried away eight calves and came back for more too. I made a report at the station.”
The cattle farmer, who owns over 80 heads of cattle, is rapidly selling out his herd out of fear of more losses. Cattle rearing has been his main source of income over the years. “I going sell out all and see something else to do because people thiefing…”
Leslie Budhoo is also considering throwing in the towel. “Many times now I have lost some of my milking cows. They have been slaughtered. We found the heads, guts and skins and calves in the bellies and now we discovered again cows starting to lost. At present, I don’t know who is the thief but right now I am thinking about selling out. I don’t know what to do next in life. I have a family to maintain, so I don’t know which road I will be on.”
The father of three secondary school children stated that he is finding it hard to maintain his family. “It’s bringing down my livelihood because I am a milkman and I am depending on the milk for my living— I am finding it hard right now. I had 48 heads and at present, I have 26. I got to keep my cows close to my bedroom now,” he lamented.
Contributing to the frustration of the cattle rearers is the fact that the relevant authorities do not seem to care.
“If the police cannot take steps in this matter, we will do our own thing to get this thing done. The government does not give us any security like guns or so…”
The farmers stated that the prevalence of cattle rustling in the area has cost them millions of dollars over the years.
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