Cows: a clear and present danger

Claude Wilson, Freelance Writer

WESTERN BUREAU: A CLEAR and present danger lurks along the treacherous Lilliput/Rose Hall main road in St. James, a peril posed by roaming cows that amble across the busy highway at will.

The three-mile stretch, from Ironshore to Lilliput, has become the pastureland for herds of cattle let loose by their owners to forage.

It used to be that the flashing of headlights along this stretch, day or night, signified that a police patrol was doing speed checks, but now it serves to alert motorists that cows are on the move along the highway. Last weekend, two accidents, none serious, were recorded at Rose Hall within a 24-hour period.

The areas outside Coyaba Hotel, the Half Moon Hotel, and the strip between the Rose Hall Development Limited (formerly Palm Apartments) and Wyndham Rose Hall Hotel are particularly noted for herds of the wandering bovines. Just Saturday night a predominantly black cow ran into the path of an oncoming car causing minor injuries to the occupants, substantial damage to the car and severe injury to itself.

The accident, which occurred a few chains from the Ironshore Esso Service Station, caused a bottleneck in the flow of traffic in both directions as the disabled cow lay in the centre of the road with the car to one side.

The Coral Gardens police say they often get complaints about the animals which they pass on to Western Parks and Markets (WPM), the agency responsible for their capture and impoundment.

The stray animal population has increased steadily for more than a year, a problem experienced across the western region. WPM managing director, Cleveland Miller, said Monday that action would soon be taken to rid the streets of strays.

He said his agency was not fully equipped to deal with the continuously rising number of roaming cattle that are reported particularly along the "tourist corridor". WPM has a truck for the purpose but is in the process of doing repairs at its pound at Montpelier in St. James.

A five-acre plot at Frome in Westmoreland is also earmarked for a new pound to serve the western region.

Still, the WPM managing director says he is sufficiently familiar with situation where impounded animals remain unclaimed and few buyers show up at the auctions leaving the company with additional feeding and veterinary expenses. The police have evidence to suggest that some of the cows grazing the Ironshore to Lilliput main road are owned by herders from the hill areas stretching from Queens Gate and Rose Hill to the district of Flower Hill. In the meantime, they can only advise motorists to remain on the alert for cattle movement.

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