Dear Editor,
The Mayor and Councillors of the City of Georgetown have an obligation under the law to collect and impound stray animals found on their own wandering around streets, roads or parks of Georgetown. These stray animals once they are collected should be taken straight to the municipal pounds or kennels. They should be given a quick health check and treated for any minor injuries they may have. Stray animals with serious health concerns or injuries should be taken to the GSPCA or a vet.
But this is simply not happening. The City Council has relinquished this statutory responsibility leaving hundreds if not thousands of stray animals to just roam freely through the streets of our capital.
Many of them, dogs in particular, are prone to carrying fleas, ticks and scabies, as well as a multitude of infectious diseases such as leptospirosis and mange, a skin disease that causes hair loss and infection.
Another concern for these stray animals is the fact that many of them are hunted, tortured, beaten to death, by persons of unsound mind or mischievous youngsters.
Back in 2011, the Home Affairs Ministry under Clement Rohee launched a stray-catching unit to complement the municipality’s own, but this apparently was seen by the Council as an opportunity to give up entirely its responsibility. To make it worse it would complain that the Government wanted to control everything. Well, it is a new government, so why not take back your responsibility?
Based on their reliance or dependence on humans, and in some respect, their behaviour towards people, some strays exhibit a calm disposition when a human approaches, whereas there are those that are more feral which display highly aggressive behaviour: growling, barking, and attempting to bite. Indeed these types are particularly active during dawn, dusk, and at night much like other wild animals, travelling in packs or groups looking for food scraps.
Surely, the Council cannot allow these strays to greet our visitors for Jubilee Celebrations of Guyana’s Independence. This would destroy all the good work done by the Ministry of Tourism and the Jubilee Planning Committee.
The Council should urgently retrofit some of its vehicles, assemble a team of drivers and stray-catchers and undertake an immediate programme to rid the city of the stray animals.
It should also set up a municipal hotline for citizens to report a stray animal and apply fines to persons who do not control their animals.
Sincerely,
Jermain Johnson
