Vicious stray dogs kill poverty eradication goats
Pini Bothoko | Tuesday February 16, 2016 15:34
Dogs are popularly known as man’s best friend, but in Sebina they are turning out to be his worst enemy.Residents are having nightmares as the dogs are on an incessant hunting spree and kill their goats and sheep with reckless abandon.
The dogs are reported to have found a cradle on the outskirts of the village between two fields and kill goats and sheep when they go out to graze. They are reported to have been terrorising farmers for a while now and the farmers are fed up with this calamity, which has befallen them, forcing them to report the matter to relevant authorities for help.
Sebina village councillor, Kemmonye Amon told Mmegi that since 2013, the dogs have been on the rampage, a situation that is giving villagers sleepless nights because most of them depend on rearing livestock for survival. Amon said unless the dogs are killed, they will leave the small farmers of Sebina as destitutes.
“What hurts the most is that the majority of affected farmers are beneficiaries of poverty eradication programmes. These dogs are killing government’s efforts to alleviate poverty,” said Amon, adding that something urgent needs to be done to assist the farmers.
He stated that he has on numerous platforms requested dog owners in the village to take good care of their dogs, but his plea seems to have fallen on deaf ears.
A worried Amon said last week he received a painful report to the effect that the dogs had killed nine goats but ate only one. He said some of the affected villagers disclosed that they had seen these dogs, which are said to be very fat and big, running away from the dead goats when farmers approached.
“We have since reported the matter to the police and a meeting will be held at the kgotla today (Monday). By-law officers will also be present at the meeting to map a way forward in the matter,” said Amon. He added that what worries him most is that beneficiaries under the Livestock Management and Infrastructure Development (LIMID) would not be compensated because they are not covered under the component of re-stocking.
The Agricultural Extension officer, Monty Mbise confirmed receiving frequent reports from farmers about their goats, which have been killed by stray dogs.
“I have received a lot of reports about that serious matter here. About 100 goats or more have been killed so far and we do not know how we can assist our LIMID beneficiaries because we are not allowed to kill the dogs. This concerns us because the beneficiaries will not get any compensation from my office,” said Mbise.
Mbise said the whole idea for the programme is to help citizens to graduate from poverty, but when situations like this occur they will remain trapped in abject poverty forever. One of the victims, Teedzani Kenosi said the dogs had killed five of her daughter’s goats that she had been given under the poverty eradication programme. Kenosi also lost seven goats from her own kraal.
“We plead for help as small farmers here. I leave in fear not knowing if all of my goats will return home. These dogs are brutal because they kill many goats at a time but eat only a few,” said Kenosi.
Another victim Mantho Emmanuel shared Kenosi’s sentiments pointing out that the stray dogs are cruel and need to be killed before they turn farmers into destitutes.
“I am now afraid to leave my goats to go out to graze since two of my goats given under the LIMID programme have been savaged by vicious dogs. Our lives are also in danger because the dogs have not been vaccinated against rabbies,” said a sobbing Emmanuel.
Asked about the dog incident in Sebina, Inspector Ishmael Bontsibokae of the Botswana Police Service could not verify the report claiming that his office has not yet received the report.