Grove residents frustrated over unattended animals in neighbourhood

May 11, 2021 News

The unattended pigs and cows roaming in the Golden Grove Community.

Kaieteur News – The residents of Golden Grove (also known as Grove) located on the East Bank of Demerara (EBD) are frustrated over unattended animals – pigs and cows – which they claim are destroying their neighbourhood and invading their premises.
One of the residents, who only identified himself as Mr. Prashad, said that the unattended animals have been a problem to the community for more than five years. “Golden Grove is supposed to be a community, not a pasture or pig men,” a furious Prashad told Kaieteur News.
He related that the animals, especially the cows, are causing massive destruction to the streets, trench corners and government reserves. “The animals are also destroying plants in the community that we pay to maintain and (they) defecate on the streets where we have to walk,” added Prashad.
Apart from the destruction to the community, another resident, who said that his name is Michael, related that the pigs and cows are often seen damaging fences and invading premises. “These animals are even defecating in our yards; they have been bothering us for years and no one ain’t addressing the issue,” he lamented.
Mr. C. Persaud, yet another resident, said that he is forced to “clean up cow dung” either in front of his home or in his yard every morning. “Since four o’clock in the morning, we have to be cleaning and washing down. You does can’t bear the scent and this thing is unbearable because is for years now it going on. Them cows breaking down the edges of the trench and fulling it up and when rain fall, we getting flood. Them even sleeping pon the road in the nights and does chase down people when them coming in. Is years now we gat fuh run up and down fuh chase out them animal,” Persaud related.
The Grove residents told Kaieteur News that they have been complaining to the relevant authorities about the nuisance but it seems as if they are being ignored.
Prashad said that various community members have approached the police, the Grove/Diamond Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) and the Ministry of Home Affairs but none of the three have intervened in the matter.
Another affected resident, Williams Lewis, even provided this newspaper with copies of letters, along with photo evidence, that he had personally delivered to the NDC seeking its help in addressing the issue. One of the most recent letters was dated January 7, 2021 but to date, Lewis said, the unattended animals continue to affect and frustrate residents daily.
Kaieteur News understands that the cows and pigs are owned by farmers living in the neighbouring village of Kaneville and would enter Grove via a bridge, which links the two communities.
Speaking with this publication yesterday, the Chairman of the NDC, Mr. Ranger Budhram, said that he is aware of the residents’ concern but his Council currently has no authority to impound the animals. He advised that only the police or the Ministry of Home Affairs can do so.
This publication has since reached out to East Bank Demerara police ranks who have promised to address the residents’ concerns.