–stray animals a serious concern for ‘West Bank’ road users

FACING a serious issue of stray animals on the roadways contributing to vehicular accidents and blocking traffic, road users in Region Three are calling on the authorities to look into this matter with urgency.
Inspector Matthew Craig, who is attached to the Wales Police Station, is among those who deeply wish to see the situation addressed, as he is currently at home, nursing several injuries about the body due to an accident on Saturday night, when a cow ran into the path of his motorcycle.
According to Craig, the accident occurred around 22:30hrs on the West Demerara Public Road in the vicinity of Good Intent.
“I was proceeding north; the cow was on the western side eating grass. I didn’t observe that there was a calf on the eastern side, but as I was approaching the cow, the cow turn and run from west to east side, in an attempt to cross the road to go to the calf, and ended up hitting my motorcycle,” Craig shared of his recent experience.
He was thrown from his motorcycle, and sustained injuries to several parts of his body.

“When I fall off my motorcycle, I received injuries to my left-side face, my left shoulder. My left forearm is bruised up; I received a hard hit on my left hip, and the ankle dig away. I had to do a CT Scan, because I discovered this morning [Monday] I was bleeding through my nostril,” Craig said.
Craig is currently home on sick leave, resting from his injuries, but cautions that the situation is in urgent need of being addressed, for fear of lives being lost.
“Stray animals are very detrimental; vehicles can even swerve from these animals, and hit other persons. I want to see these strays off the street,” Craig said, adding: “These animals are always being left unattended; be it goat, sheep, cow.

And this is one of the things that causes a lot, a lot of the accidents. And the accidents are worst when it’s a motorcyclist, because, with car, you can have a balance, and try to manoeuver and prevent injury, or avoid injuries. But with motorcycle, you fall, and you’re injured; it can be severe or serious.”
The animal that contributed to Craig’s accident has since been impounded at the Wales Police Station.
Another vehicular user, who asked to speak on condition of anonymity, noted that he recently had a run-in with a stray animal, this time at Uitvlugt, on the West Coast Demerara.
“About a month ago, I was driving home from work very late in the night. I was almost home when the car in front of me made a sudden dash to the right; by the time I could’ve understood what was happening, a horse was in front of me. All I could do was swerve to the left, but I nearly ended up inside a canal. I was deeply traumatized; I had to stop the car. I was trembling, trying to catch my breath, and refocus,” the person shared.

REGULAR OCCURRENCE

The individual, who works in the City, attested that encountering stray animals on the road is a regular occurrence during their daily commute on the West Coast, to and from work.
“I see a lot, a lot of animals on the road, especially in the night. Even worse, they are on poorly-lit roads, which makes it even more dangerous,” he said.
During a telephone interview on Monday, Regional Commander Errol Watts, confirmed that there is a widespread issue of stray animals on the road in several villages on the West Bank and West Coast of Demerara.

He explained that the primary role of apprehending the animals and delivering them to the pounds is supposed to be handled by the varying Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs); but if the police are called in, they would handle the situation as best they can.
“I would urge that we look at this matter very seriously; we have an issue with stray animals in the Leonora district here that are roaming the streets; on the public road at Uitvlugt and other villages. There is urgent need for us to have them impounded,” Commander Watts said.

Speaking on the Force’s role in dealing with strays, he said: “If they call the police, we will take action, but the rightful people to call is the NDC. But if they call us, we would refer the matter to the Council, or take immediate action. We have a role to play in removing stray animals from the streets, but not as a primary role; we leave that to the stray catchers from the NDC, or from the Ministry of Home Affairs. When these bodies are involved, we provide a police or two to support them in their efforts, to ensure the animals are taken to the pound without them being interfered with by the owners of the animals.”

POOR STATE
However, once the animals are caught, the state of the pounds is another issue. Commander Watts said that in Region Three, there are pounds at four police stations. However, the pounds are in desperate need of repairs. “All the pounds are in a dilapidated state, and there is need for them to be rehabilitated. There is a pound at Den Amstel, but it is not in a good state; there is also a pound at Leonora Police Station, but it is not operational. And there is a pound at Wales [Police Station], but it is also in need of repair. And there is also a pound at Wakenaam Police Station,” he shared. Once impounded, it is the responsibility of the persons in charge of the pound to feed the animals until they are claimed by the owners, in which case, the owners would be responsible for reimbursing the cost for care of the animals for whatever period it was at the pound.

If the animal is unbranded, the owner is also charged for having an unbranded animal, as it is a criminal offence to leave an adult animal unbranded. If the unbranded animals are not claimed within 90 days, the law provides for the animal to be sold.
However, in the case of branded animals, there is no provision in the law for a definitive timeline by which the pound can dispose of the animal, if it is unclaimed, even if a lengthy period has elapsed.