FOLLOWING the setting up of the Stray Catchers Unit at the Ministry of Home Affairs a number of animals have been removed from the roadways. The ministry said that to date its catchers have picked up 76 donkeys, 693 cows, 284 goats, 28 horses and 168 sheep in several areas, including  Georgetown, East Coast Demerara, East Bank Demerara, West Coast Demerara, and Berbice, where a unit was recently established.
There are 12 catchers in the city and they use one of three trucks. There are eight catchers in Berbice.

The Pounds Amendment Bill, which was passed in the National Assembly in April 2010, stipulates a fee of $5000 to be paid to a stray catcher or any other person for every animal he/she takes to the pound. These include horses, ponies, cows, sheep and goats.
Home Affairs Minister, Clement Rohee formed the unit to address the large number of stray animals on the major highways and roadways of Guyana.
Owners of stray animals are charged $10,000 for each animal impounded; half of the money goes to paying the catchers themselves while the other half goes to the upkeep of the impounded animals.
Since the inception of campaign on March 29, 2011, the Home Affairs Ministry has rehabilitated or built new pounds where necessary, at a cost of $13.2M.
Rohee, in a recent interview stated that the stray catchers’ have been concentrating on the East Coast, East Bank, West Coast and West Bank Demerara.

Rohee noted that as long as cattle are being attended to, the stray catcher cannot apprehend the animals because the animals are not considered as strays.
If animals being attended to are impounded, the pound fees are repaid to the owners.
In addition, if cattle are impounded and are found to be not branded, the law says the animals will be sold by the government.