Staff Reporter
THE Omaruru Boerevereniging, a farming association, has raised concern over a brutal case of livestock theft that occurred yesterday on Farm Klein Okombahe near Omaruru.
The farmers, Albert and Almut Koch, discovered a calf dragging itself to the kraal last night with a spear sticking through it. The spear was still lodged in its body, protruding from one side to the other. Attempts to rescue the animal failed. It died shortly after the spear was removed.
Markus Trede, Vice-Chairman of the Omaruru Boerevereniging, said that it is dramatic how stock theft and poaching continue to increase and what brutal forms they take.
Warning: Video not for sensitive viewers.
Warning: Video not for sensitive viewers. Video: Contributed
“Today’s disturbing images show once again that the criminals are not only causing considerable financial damage but also seem to have no respect for animals at all. We already know this from poachers who use snares, leghold traps, and bloodthirsty dogs. And of course, we have known for a long time that our cattle are killed with spears, but this video makes the suffering of the animals even clearer.
We call on the new government of our wonderful country to finally address the urgent problem of rural criminality and take drastic measures. If nothing is done in the near future, in a few years there will be no more cattle and game farms, and thousands of jobs will be lost,” Trede said.
He added that it is not enough just to talk and make plans.
“Criminal laws need to be changed and tightened. New penalties need to be introduced, as in reality, no criminal is afraid of prison, and law enforcement institutions need to be fundamentally reformed.
The government is called upon to reach out to the rural population and listen to the ideas and suggestions that are in abundance. We at the Omaruru Farmers Union are always available to do this, and I am sure this applies to all members and leaders of the various Farmers’ Unions,” Trede concluded.
