Berbice stray catchers continue to operate despite unit being disbanded

…52-74 NDC officials accused of condoning illegal practice
Stray catchers on the Corentyne, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) continue to operate despite the unit being disbanded.

Farmers in the 52-74 Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) community continue to have their animals picked up by a group of young men and taken to various pounds which are under the control of that NDC.
Some farmers have been able to strike deals with the men and sometimes an NDC official before the animals are taken to the pound to have them released for a cost lesser than the stipulated fee of $7000 and $8000 for adult animals.
Receipts are not issued when those deals are made, this newspaper has been told by farmers.
On Monday, the 52-74 NDC officials took a number of animals to the pound.
Only recently Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo had to intervene after the 52-74 NDC illegally impounded cattle belonging to a Corentyne farmer after stray catchers had reportedly picked up the animals from a dam.
However, on Monday stray catchers were caught on camera picking up animals that were under a tree and taking them to a pound which is under the control of the NDC.
According to Budmattie Boodram, she was alerted by her husband of the incident.
“Yesterday [Monday] when my husband went to the backdam like about 1:30 we lose our goat and he gone with some goat on the backdam because rice finish harvesting in the whole Number Naught Village so we graze our goat there. My husband called me about 2 o’clock and tell me something is not right,” the woman related.

She said she went just beyond the residential area where the animals are normally taken to graze and saw some of her goats sitting under a tree but as she continued to walk, she heard the sound of a motorcycle approaching.
“When me watch, me see they get like about four pound man and each one of them get cutlass and my husband was not there and I was very scared.”
One of the four men waited with the animals which were under the tree.
Video recordings seen by this publication support Boodram’s claim.
“Me see when he take out dem other goat from the Number Naught side where no rice was not there – everything cut out; me even video am how they take out the goat and walk and drive an carry them straight to the jamoon tree and collect the other set and gone with them,” the woman revealed.
22 heads of goat were taken to the Number 63 Village pound and the family was told they would have to pay $7000 each to have them released.
Meanwhile, according to one cattle farmer, if they pay $5000 each to these illegal stray catchers, the animals are released and if not, they are taken to the NDC’s pound.
Sometimes the money is paid to an NDC official but no receipts are issued.
Home Affairs Minister Robeson Benn had revoked all of the stray catchers’ licences as Government had put a hold on the impounding of animals by NDCs and municipalities.
Some of those persons have been hired by the NDC under Government’s part-time employment.
Boodram said they did not have the money to pay for the release of the animals and contacted a political activist in the region to get assistance.
The political activist told this newspaper that he contacted a senior Government official, who intervened and the animals were released.
According to the activist, the 52-74 NDC should pay more attention on addressing the concerns of residents, which includes the deplorable streets and garbage collection.
“Not to be engaged in the pounding of animals. It is a simple process, if your animal destroys someone’s crop you get the Police and a Rural Constable (RC) and you press for damages; that’s the way to go,” the activist explained.
It was only recently that another farmer had an issue where his cattle were illegally impounded. Following the intervention of Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo those animals were released. (G4)