-much to the annoyance of cattle owners
CATTLE farmers are normally accustomed to having their unattended animals roam freely, swarming roadways, snarling traffic, and frustrating homeowners with their repeated invasion of garden plots. Enforcement of the law against stray cattle is now causing these animal owners to sit up and take notice.
Last year, there finally came official response to countrywide demands for action to be taken against stray animal owners, who seem to think the streets are grazing grounds for their horses, donkeys, sheep and goats.
On April 22, 2010, Parliament passed the Pounds Amendment Bill. Giving the government’s rationale for tabling the Bill, then Local Government and Regional Development Minister, Khellawan Lall, said in Parliament: “Over the years, we have been trying to appeal to the consciences of cattle owners to confine these animals away from the public domain, but we haven’t been making progress in the various forms of persuasion; and now we have to move to implement some harsh penalties (against) persons who are found guilty.”
Stray animals are blamed for more than 16 per cent of vehicular accidents throughout the country, many of which are fatal.  In attempts to avoid trouble with the police, or the expense of repairing vehicles damaged by their animals, some unscrupulous owners are not forthcoming in claiming their animals that were involved in accidents, leaving bereaved relatives of accident victims to grieve over the loss of their loved ones, or vehicle owners to bear the costs of repairing damage.

International attention
This situation gained international attention some years ago, when a former American ambassador threatened to issue an advisory discouraging travel to Guyana, because of the grave threat unattended animals roaming the streets pose to the safety of all persons using the roadways, especially at nights.
With enforcement of the impoundment law, which now stipulates the redemption cost of an animal at the hefty sum of $10,000, the changing reality began to impact animal owners. Suddenly, they found themselves faced with the decision to either graze their animals in areas not frequented by vehicular traffic, or pay $10,000 to recover an impounded animal, more  than if and when the animal catchers capture them.
The stray cattle menace has engaged the attention of residents, city councillors and lawmakers for some time now.
Residents in some areas find themselves having to compete for use of the roadways with herds of foraging cattle; horses and donkeys galloping freely, terrifying children as well as adults; or ruminants, whose herd mentality dictates that all do the same thing at the same time.
The foregoing apart, persons in areas where animals are reared often find themselves having to carefully navigate their paths to avoid stepping into mounds of fresh and not-so-fresh animal dung, with their accompanying smears and odours of excrement.
Residents of newly emerging housing schemes are particularly affected by this problem of stray animals. Those of Paradise Housing Scheme, East Coast Demerara, for instance, report having frequent animated exchanges with owners of stray animals.
“They tell us that this place used to be an animal pasture before we came here to live, and that they will continue to graze their animals here, since that is what they were doing for generations,” one Paradise resident said.
Villagers say some cattle owners don’t even bother to herd their animals home in the evenings, but rather leave them to their own devices to forage during the nights as well, which is when they break down weak fences to get at fodder.
The inconvenience caused by animals that are not herded home at nights is particularly acute during the rainy season, when the place is flooded, East Coast residents contend.
“When the land is flooded,” they say, “the animals sleep on the roadways at night, and vehicles and pedestrians have to clear a path before they can pass.”
Though there have been no reports to date of injury or death due to roaming cows, residents say, the sometimes erratic behaviour of horses is cause for concern to many drivers.
According to one motorist: “When horses are on the road, you have to be careful how you blowing your horn on them to get them out of the way. If you do it too suddenly, they panic and jump at the vehicle.”
One taxi driver reported having his windscreen smashed by a panicked horse in one such situation. Fortunately, the occupants of that vehicle suffered no injury.
This paper encountered some irate cattle owners at Bachelor’s Adventure, on the East Coast Demerara, who were unhappy  with the modus operandi of some stray-catchers.  “Dis thing gon cause nuff trouble!  Some o dem comin into de street and catchin de animals, instead of waiting fo dem to go on de main road,” one cattle owner alleged.
To accommodate the anticipated increase in animals arriving at pounds across the country, the Home Affairs Ministry has embarked on the rehabilitation of existing pounds and building new ones.