Dear Editor,
Once again it is with distress and deep anger that I read of traffic fatalities caused by circumstances which are completely avoidable, to wit, the loss of 3 invaluable lives at Bee Hive on Monday (SN, April 29, 2008), on account of wandering cattle. Animals have been wantonly left to roam our streets for years now, and I have personal experience with this perpetual nuisance. Some 3 years ago I hit a cow on the Mahaica road, just a mile or two from the current accident scene, and luckily I was driving a 4 x 4. It was at night and by the time the stupid animal appear-ed in my headlights I hit it as I had no time to brake. This time the cow died and the vehicle’s front, sturdy as it was, became a mess. If I were in my car things might have been entirely different, both for the car and myself. And as we all know the owners of the animals cannot be found in the majority of cases, as happened with my accident.
The three persons in this instance were not so lucky, and although the truck reportedly had its bright lights on as is customary in this country, and speed might have been involved in the case of one or both vehicles, again the bottom line is that grazing farm animals which should in no way be on our roads, have once again plunged relatives and loved ones of the deceased into agony and grief. And at this point let me express my profound condolences to the grieving and anguished relatives of the accident victims.
I need not recite the litany of accidents caused by livestock on our roads ending in injury or death for members of the travelling public, and the heavy financial losses inflicted on motorists due to damaged and mangled vehicles. Animals walk, plants do not. Animals should therefore be prevented from walking into people’s kitchen gardens, into rice fields and other places where cultivation is in progress, and more so on to our roads. If these so-called farmers that have grazing animals don’t have land on which they can safely graze, then they shouldn’t keep them.
In closing I would like to make two suggestions to the Commissioner of Police who is responsible for safety on-our roads, and the orderly flow of all forms of traffic. Wandering animals should be removed from the roadways and either put up for auction (not necessarily the best of my options), handed over to government farms, or taken to the abattoir, disposed of, and the meat distributed to state institutions, the orphanages, homes for the elderly, etc. Oh, before some of my friends and colleagues come down on me, I am aware that female animals of breeding age and those that are pregnant should not be slaughtered. I will give in to the latter, but since the vast majority of wandering cattle are females, I will stick to my suggestion that the non-pregnant ones be slaughtered by the police, and the meat disposed of as indicated. I guarantee that after the first dozen or so animals are accordingly dealt with, there will be fewer animals on the road. Over to you Mr Com-missioner.
Yours faithfully,
L. Applewhaite,
Veterinarian
