-admits killing some in June
A livestock farmer of Lovely Lass Village, West Berbice who is disgusted that dogs from the nearby Bush Lot village continue to kill his sheep, wants the mutts to be gotten rid of.
Clyde Mc Almont told Stabroek News (SN) that on Saturday the dogs killed another sheep belonging to him valued $35,000. Three weeks ago he also lost two other sheep to the dogs and said that during that time five other farmers lost nine more.
A relative who was taking care of his stocks had gone home for lunch and when he returned the dogs had already killed the sheep. Three weeks ago, he and the farmers learnt that the dogs were “rounding up” their sheep to attack them and they tried to catch the dogs but they escaped through a trench and into the village of Bush Lot.
He said they followed the dogs and caught some of them running into a yard belonging to a woman. They complained to the woman that the dogs had eaten their sheep and she responded that she was washing her house and that she had “no time with dogs.”
He said they contacted the Fort Wellington Police Station and the following day a ‘neighbourhood police’ was summoned to the scene but the woman denied that the dogs belonged to her.
He said a resident told them that the dogs had eaten nine of her ducks and that she understood how they [farmers] felt.
Mc Almont owns 60 head of sheep and has to buy one bag of bran per day costing $1000 to feed them. He said it was not easy for the dogs to slaughter the sheep and the owners are not doing anything about it.
“The persons who own the dogs should pen them up and keep them from going and kill we sheep. We have to get rid of the dogs; they are destructive,” he declared.
He pointed out that that was not the first time the dogs had killed their sheep while they were grazing in their [farmers’] land. He admitted that in the past when he and the other farmers caught the dogs attacking the sheep they would kill the dogs. A resident would even mount his horse and help them to catch the dogs.
The man further admitted to reports carried in this newspaper in June last year about a gang pursuing dogs they found in a section of Bush Lot and killing them. The men had dumped the dead animals in a canal.
He said during that time he had lost 11 sheep while the dogs had also killed seven belonging to Ramesh Ramlagan, four to Jermaine Fraser, three to Clyde Warde and four to Daniel Bourne. Another farmer known as ‘Natty’ had also lost a few while Shawn Burnette had lost three.
He said that the situation caused them to be outraged and he admitted that they ventured into the area and caught six of the dogs and chopped them to death while a few more got away.
The man said that at first they had only killed three of the animals.
He said while they were looking for the dogs in the village, a woman brought out one on a rope and gave it to them to destroy. Another woman even told them that three “stray dogs” had been making a mess on her stairs and she was glad for them to get rid of the dogs.
He said the animals were not around but the woman promised to telephone them when they returned. A few hours later she called and the men went back to finish off the animals.
When the report about that incident was published in this newspaper, an official from the Guyana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (GSPCA) visited Bush Lot along with a senior police officer from the Fort Wellington station.
Residents had told this newspaper that they provided information to the officers about the killing of the dogs. However the police later issued a press release saying that there was no “evidence” of any dog being killed. As such, no investigation was launched.
The residents had told this newspaper that the farmers went into their yards and brought out the dogs and chopped them to death. They said they were afraid that the men would kill them too and they did not protest when they came for the dogs.
Mc Almont said they “had no choice but to kill the dogs because nobody was claiming them and we were angry over all the losses. I suffered the most and this is heart-rending. I am a peaceful citizen but the people pushing me to the edge. I am stressed out right now.”
Further he said “I am pleading for help to get rid of these dogs. I realized we did the wrong thing that time to go in the village and kill the dogs so that is why I contacted the police and want to publish it in the media.”
He vows though that if he and the other farmers catch the dogs eating their sheep again they would not spare them, pointing out that they would prefer to avoid resorting to that action.
In that vein, he made an appeal for the GSPCA to take the dogs away “because the owners are not taking care of them and they would continue to attack we stocks.”
Meanwhile he said he does not like to get into problems with anyone and when a resident had complained that one of his sheep was eating her flower plants he decided to sell it.
