By Shabna Ullah
Even as residents of Bush Lot, West Berbice were grieving the loss of their dogs, the persons who are responsible for hacking them to death returned around 6 pm on Monday in search of more.
This newspaper was told that the men ran after a dog and tried to catch it but the dog ran away “for dear life.” They said that since most of the dogs had already been killed the men left the area without saying anything to the residents.
Last Sunday a gang of about 12 men armed with cutlasses, sticks and rope went on a rampage in a section of the village. They hunted and hacked off the heads of all the dogs they found.
Reports are that they even went into a few yards and chased the dogs out and killed them while the owners looked on helplessly. The irate men then dumped the mutilated dogs in a nearby trench.
The residents said that when they enquired from the men why they were killing the dogs they replied that the dogs had killed 11 sheep belonging to them last week while they were grazing in the backlands.
Yesterday officials from the Guyana Society for the Prevention of Cruel to Animals (GSPCA) visited the area to investigate the incident. The residents were pleased that after the article appeared in this newspaper the GSPCA had taken steps.
The residents expressed outrage at the way the animals were slaughtered. There were suggestions also that some of the men may not be owners of sheep but were being paid to kill the dogs.
Yesterday the GSPCA said the incident came to its attention after an article was published in the Stabroek News and according to them, the perpetrators will have to face the full force of the law.
In a statement, the society noted that deliberate acts of cruelty to animals are illegal and punishable under local laws and cited the Summary Jurisdiction Act (Miscellaneous Offences), Cruelty to Animals Chapter 8:02.
“The perpetuation of such violent acts must not be allowed to continue. All Guyanese should condemn this act of unmitigated cruelty and support the GSPCA’s call for those involved in the brutal slaughter of these dogs be prosecuted to the full extent of the law”, the statement said.
The society is calling on villagers in the Bush Lot areas and other citizens to provide the police and their inspectors with whatever information they may have that could assist in tracking the gang down. GSPCA stressed that the full support of residents is needed to apprehend the persons behind the attack.
Syeada Manbodh, a volunteer who rescues animals and take them to the GSPCA, also spoke to this newspaper yesterday and was saddened by the gruesome act. She hoped that the residents would come forward and provide enough information so that the men would face severe penalties.
She said she is aware that the men wanted to prevent their sheep from being harmed but the best way to deal with it was not to butcher the dogs.
She said that they should have gotten the Neighbourhood Democratic Councils, the GSPCA or the police involved and come up with the best solution to deal with the situation.
Further, she said that “the people have to be responsible for their dogs and keep them in a pen and only release them at nights.” She also said that “they should have the dogs in a fenced-in yard and if they don’t have a fence then they should not keep a dog.”
Residents had told Stabroek News that the men beat the dogs with the sticks and used the ropes to lasso them when they tried to run away. They said in some of the killings, one person held the dog while the other chopped the necks off completely. A woman had told this newspaper she was sad to see the men firing chops at a pregnant dog but it apparently escaped death by hiding in some bushes. She said she was not aware of what became of the dog until the next morning when she noticed that its foot was almost severed.
