Stray animals continue to kill Guyanese

Letter to the Editor
Stabroek News
Published, January 17, 2006.


Dear Editor,

Mr. Wayne Gray’s life was a senseless loss of one of Guyana’s sons. Like many others, he had the misfortune of colliding with one of the many stray animals that inhabit the roads of Guyana. When are we going to realize the need to curb this fatal problem? How many more lives will it take for the authorities to intercede and get serious with solving this problem?

Farming forms the backbone of Guyana’s economy and lifestyle, this we know. Allowing farmers and home owners, who often rare animals to sustain their incomes, to have these animals graze unsupervised on our streets, causing traffic fatalities without any repercussions, is inexcusable. I firmly belief the time is long overdue for this problem to be curbed. It kills Guyanese and encourages visitors to Guyana not to rent cars and drive on our roads.

A system of checks and balances needs to be enforced in Guyana. The police department should look into having special units that detain stray animals and impose heavy fines on their owners as a means of deterring this problem. A human life should not be allowed to be lost because of the negligence of animal owners. Stray animals on Guyana’s streets are driving hazards and should be treated as such.

I would hope the relevant authorities treat this matter with the urgency it deserves and act in prudence at resolving it. Solving simple problems like this sends a positive message to the Guyanese population at home and the wider Guyanese population abroad. It shows that our leaders recognize the problems and are fixing them one at a time. It’s the constant news of senseless deaths like that of Mr. Gray that annoys a population who are already peeved with Guyana’s other problems.

Enough already, its time to stop bombarding the Guyanese people with political rhetoric of brighter days ahead and stronger economic prosperity and development for our country, when the little nuances of citizen protection are not realized. Guyana needs its people. We have lost too many talented people already to migration. We cannot afford to lose more to stray animals. Guyanese living abroad often equate these incidents with the push factors of their migration. The President and his administration are frequent visitors to New York, Toronto and other major cities inhabited with migrant Guyanese, emphasizing and encouraging the need for expatriates to return home. How do they expect for Guyanese living abroad to leave their relevant comforts and safeties in these cities to a country where its leaders haven’t demonstrated they can solve a stray animal problem thus far? As simple as it may seem, this problem speaks volumes of the ineptness and total disregard for human life by our leaders.

Please, I urge for this problem to be taken more seriously. As I write this letter, many of my fellow Guyanese are in danger of losing their lives to the many stray animals on our streets. A life lost is a significant blow to Guyana, especially when that life could have been saved if measures were in place to deter its adversaries.

I genuinely mourn with Mr. Gray’s family and the many other families that were wearers of their shoes. It’s my hope that your pain be felt by those who can make a difference in preventing yet another Guyanese family from going through this heart wrenching tragedy. The remedying of this problem is long overdue. Stray animals need not be the reasons for motorist death, especially not as frequently as it is statistically in Guyana.

Sincerely,

Christopher A. Watson.