Senior Multimedia Reporter
radhica.sookraj@guardian.co.tt
Woodland farmers are enduring sleepless nights as they grapple with theft of their livestock by cattle rustlers who operate under the cloak of darkness.
To date, three farmers have reported incidents of theft.
One of these thieves, suspected to be associated with the ongoing repairs of the breached river bank, was allegedly caught and even left behind a cellular phone as he fled through the fields two Sundays ago.
However, despite the farmers’ efforts in retrieving the suspect’s phone and reporting the incident to the police, the contractor responsible for the repair work, and the Ministry of Works, they say justice remains frustratingly out of reach.
Speaking to Guardian Media, Phagoo Dan and his son, Nandeo Dan, residents of Rahamut Trace, said they have lost four cows over the past month.
The elderly Dan said: “I feel sick. Sometimes you don’t know what to do. You get frustrated because you cannot eat your own food. When you get up, you’re worried. It is not easy to wake up and see two or three cattle missing.”
He said cattle rearing is demanding and labour-intensive.
“You have to feed them, give them water, milk them. It’s not easy, but people are coming and stealing them.”
Dan said the rustlers primarily target younger cows because they are easier to capture and transport.
He claimed that the police response was poor.
The 65-year-old farmer said: “I try my best to do what is good, but in this matter, I am getting no response from anybody. No help from anybody. Nobody responding to us. I don’t know why the police are not taking this matter seriously.”
With only 15 cows remaining, Dan said he had taken it upon himself to stay up every night to watch over his animals.
“I lost an animal at 2.30 pm. In broad daylight, they took the cow from the pastures,” he recounted.
While the police have confirmed ongoing investigations into the thefts, Works Minister Rohan Sinanan denied any connection between the contractor and his Ministry.
Sinanan emphasised that cattle theft was a matter for the police to address and, while expressing sympathy for the affected farmers, indicated that the Ministry could not become directly involved in resolving the issue.