The ManicaPost
Luxson Chananda
A LOOK around as one travels around the country today will tell a story that livestock farmers are going through one of their best moments ever experienced. Their livestock is in its best of forms as there are abundant pastures and water, both in man-made and natural watering points. As we seem to have eventually waved goodbye to one of the best rain seasons ever experienced, owners of stock are letting their stock off to the grazing areas. Some of the stock end up being lost or stolen and it is our desire to share information on how to prevent and handle cases where stock end up getting lost or getting astray.
Stray and Stolen Stock
Police regard lost livestock as stolen and will therefore take down the report as that of stock theft. However, when such stock is found under circumstances that show that it had not been stolen, but just strayed from the owner, the stock is regarded as found property and is then supposed to be managed according to the laid down procedures and regulations for dealing with found stock.
Care of Stock
It is recommended that all stock should be kept under proper care where it can be accounted for at all times. Stock should be kept in paddocks or tendered by way of herding where necessary. All stock should be entered in stock cards for communal farmers or stock registers for large scale farmers. The habit of letting out stock to the grazing area during the winter season and looking for them only when they are needed, either for milking or ploughing is strongly discouraged because this results in them going astray or getting lost.
Persons Finding Stray Stock
People who come across stock that would have strayed should report it to their nearest police station after taking note of the number of stock involved and descriptions, that include colour sex, age (whether adult, young or off springs).
Police on Receipt of the report
The procedure adopted by the police is something the public should certainly be aware of so as to be able to assist in terms of co-operation and attempts at trying to locate the owner or the eventual disposal of the animal(s) in question.
The police of the area concerned will take the report down and visit/attend the scene of location in the same manner they attend all cases reported to the police and according to standards as outlined in the Police Client Service Charter. Attending police details will carry out full preliminary investigations in an effort to locate the owner of the stock after taking note of full descriptions of the stock. The attending detail will then leave the livestock in the custody of a person of trust or finder of the stock while continuing with investigations. At the end of the investigations the livestock should be entered in the found property.
Responsibilities of the Person in Custody
He/she should ensure the safe custody of the livestock, reporting as soon as possible any developments such as the death of the livestock, health, change of hands, births and deaths of off-springs regarding the stock. The custodian should also take note that all off-springs of livestock are also regarded as found property and should be treated as such.
Inserted by ZRP Manicaland Press and Public Relations
