Costly concern | Cattle a ‘menace’ to Spooner’s Estate residents
Cattle roaming freely in the Spooner’s Estate area is a cause of concern for residents who said the cows are now causing them to spend money — in at least one case, thousands — to protect themselves and their properties.
These concerns were made public during a community meeting held at the Enis Adams Primary School on Tuesday evening, February 4.
“These cows — there seems to me like nobody responsible for them,” one male resident said.
“What we had to do was fence our entire property, and it cost us $4,000 to do that. And it hurt us. But we didn’t want to live with a tragedy because sometimes we sleeping and these cows are on our roof, and if they fall down now, we have a situation on our hands,” a female resident added.
Another male resident agreed that the situation has become unbearable because the cows have travelled to all corners of the community.
He said the seemingly wild cattle have even ended up in the cistern on his property.
“That happened to me when I was building. Actually, they fell into the cistern — two of them — and I had to pay to get them out myself with a backhoe. One died, and the next day I got it out. They are a menace,” the property owner said.
Issue reported to the Department of Agriculture
Hearing their concerns, Representative of the Second District where Spooners is located, Melvin ‘Mitch’ Turnbull, said the issue is not new to him.
He further said he has attempted to have it rectified by reporting it to the relevant authorities.
“I don’t know who they (the cows) are for. I have been receiving the reports and I have made the reports to Agriculture [Department] … but nothing seems to be happening,” Turnbull told residents.
Other residents complained about the cattle coming out during night-time hours and the danger that poses to the motoring public.
One of the suggestions that came out from the residents was the installation cattle grids that would prevent the cows from passing from one area to the next.
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Department of Agriculture are a waste of time… Don’t enforce anything.
I just don’t know to say anymore. Some animals are allowed to roam all over the place and some are tied up and not fed. It hurts my heart to see people tie their animals and not give them water or food. If you ever pass up the road by the paintings on the wall, there are so many cows up the hill that obviously don’t get enough to eat or drink…You can literally count their ribs SMH
If they are wild, catch them and keep them as your own. Rare them and later sell to the butcher. Problem solve.
Agreed. Sell them one by one. People still eating bull foot soup and beef soup.
These issues and or problems are all due to the importation of foriegn values, and the absence of people and policy to establish a balance between those who need to raise animals for existence and economic income, and those who wish to impose their values upon their adopted society.
Society is changing, but all must do better adopting and live and let live.
Cows need a sea bath too
Are you serious? Come on! Many ‘farmers’ here have always been “wutless” for years having their animals roam.
Tag the animals and then we’ll KNOW who they belong to and can sue the butts of these ridiculous loose livestock owners. Sick of them
Those cows born here….How many of those folks at spooners born here?
@ Son of the soil
I know who you are and let me say this….You can be a patriot without having to be racist or hating towards people of other countries that “shit” no different than you and I! You need to stop hating non bvilanders because for sure if they were all gone you and your “goons” would not be able to build our country on your own.
Diversity is good for my BVI
So Stop already!
This is not just avSpooner problem, it affects .any other areas througbout the island.
It have a beach up spooner’s estate ????
I guess you can’t read cause the caption said where the pic was taken. Some of you don’t take time to try and read before you comment
It’s vital that farmers raise cattle, but equally important they keep them fenced in on their own property. No one is arguing people shouldn’t feed their families or make a living.
I was not aware of a meeting maybe in the future better PR is needed.
It seems that these cows are ownerless and on the loose, causing a nuisance. Nonetheless, here is a news flash for those of us that have not. been paying attention. In the past, when Tortola was populated with a few thousand people, people could let cows roam and feed on other people’s property. You could also use other people’s property as a path/right-of-way and even pick and eat a few fruits. That was decades ago; time has changed. We got to respect other people’s rights, property and quiet and enjoyment as we would/should expect from others.
Talk is cheap and money buys land and it too takes land to raise cattle. No land, no cattle. Is it not the Department of Agriculture’s responsibility to round up stray animals, including cows, and pound them and. If no one claims them within a certain time, they become the government’s? Or that was yesteryear?
The Department of Agriculture was dying on vine before the VIP came to power, employing its unconventional style. And lumping in into the Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth Affairs, Sports, Fisheries and Agriculture may be hastening its death. It is a mouthful to stay and it is more than a mouthful to manage. The ministry is too large to be effective. Perhaps one of the two junior ministers should have the portfolio for Agriculture and Fisheries. This exposes a flaw in parliamentary democracy, for too often we put people in charge of stuff that they don’t know pullet from fowl about.
The system is at fault here, not the elected members. The presidential system in theory is better than the parliamentary system. A hybrid system may be better. Our westerly neighbor may theoretically have a more effective system, ie, the Guv appoints experienced experts to head various functions. Just the yesterday, the VI and USVI leaders met to explore common ground. I took the discussion from stray cows to system of governing. Controversial yes but politics is about conflict; conflict is the animating force.
@Diaspora, ai sah, yu ain’t ez. “Talk is cheap and money buys land and it too takes land to raise cattle. No land, no cattle.“ Lol! I can’t keep up. You tie loose cows to MEC, to agriculture on death watch, to junior ministers assignment, to type of governing to VI and USVI interpersonal relationship in a single leap. You es boi, mehson! Controversial indeed but you lub to stir the pot. It is real talk and it is all good, avoiding the politics of personal destruction. Any way dem people need to keep dem cow tie pun dem land and feed dem. See som mager cow running round de place and dem need dipping. Way de dip anyway? That is cruelty to animal.
@Patois, garcon, why you mixing Ebonics with standard English. This is why some of our children can barely complete a simple sentence. Our children were horrible before but text and social media are exacerbating the situation. The blogs are the worst and sometimes down right embarrassing. We need to set the personal example for our children. Globalization has roared ashore and our children have to compete globally. I expect to be called bourgeois or worst.
Yeah, ”booshy”!
And the list goes on Cows eating every damn thing I planted, loud music coming from vehicles passing on the street, loud bikes on the streets driving up and down, (and the minister importing bigger bikes), and too much loitering in the place.
I buy some land in the area 2years ago and I cannot even plant a fruit tree as yet. I am now trying to put some money together to fence the whole property because of these cows. I am sure If I caught some of them and keep them, then the owner will show up with the police. I don’t think they are wild cows.
Look yah – we bo’n yah and graze free range cause we have no proper grazing grounds! Ayo build apartments and do t fence we out so wah ayo expect? Times rough and we geh find food wherever we can! Ayo go by JB and eat off we brothers and sisters and don’t want button’ wid we mehson!! Or we go $h!t on all ayo door steps….burr agriculture…lol…dem ain’t want none ah we either!
The problem is they have owners, they are not stray cattle. They have a responsibility to provide food and a place to graze. It is inhumane and irresponsible for the owners to allow them to roam throughout the villages hungry and destroying propery. If a parent parent did that to their children the autborities would intervene , the same should apply to the owner of animals. If they are unable to provide for them they must be taken away from them They should a also pay for the damages their animals cause. Why are they not held liable?
Talk talk talk talk talk! Not a soul will do a f***ing thing, NEXT!!!!
Get a butcher and set a date for a neighborhood barbecue. $5 plate special discount.
Too marga
cows need recreation too
Ayo keep our cow in Spooner’s jus tame and milk.
Problems with goats and sheep in district 7 too.
This is not just a Spooner problem, it affects other areas througbout the island.
Don’t hurt the cows please .
Tie up a few cows. If the owners dont come, kill the fatted calf and go around in a truck like olden days and have a beef sale. 3.00 a pound, all beef done. Problem solve. That beef better than US graded steak.
Cows Use to be able to roam free once upon a time. It’s in their nature not to be pastured in a zoo. The country is being built up and population growing with nowhere for the cows to roam so we get rid of the cows to buy their meat from the grocery store with all kinds of deseases that we know nothing about. Drink milk that we do not know how it was processed, get sick and pay doctor bills unnecessarily to get medication with more side effects and the nuisance cows LOL and shake their head.