Although cattle rustling has always been a prevalent issue in the South Rupununi, a group of small-scale ranchers say rustling has increased since the coronavirus pandemic began and are calling on the relevant authorities to launch an investigation into the matter.
During a recent two-day round-up in the savannahs, six small-scale ranchers from Karaudarnau village discovered that almost all their cattle were missing. The ranchers, who did not want to be named, revealed that after an intense two-day search, they were lucky to find a few. They said that the recent level of theft is far worse than the few annual cases they have had to contend with over the recent years.
There is no central collection of cattle-theft statistics in the area and rustling sometimes goes unreported because its small numbers could be attributed to an animal wandering off. However, when the numbers are larger, there is little doubt that it is the work of cattle rustlers.