The Humane Society recently announced its decision to remove at least one species of stray animals, to wit, donkeys, from the roads and public places on the island.

The animals they say will be placed in their donkey sanctuary.

We’re all aware of how much wreck stray animals have caused to people’s lives. The goats and sheep destroy crops, vehicles have been damaged through run-ins with cows, donkeys and horses, and lives have been lost as a result of accidents with these animals.

One life is one too many. Many can recall the tragic death of a young girl who died on the spot when she ran into a cow on the road to Pares Village while on her way home. We’re sure readers can recall more examples of people who have been injured and other lives that have been lost as a result of accidents with these animals.

We’re left to wonder why this situation continues despite assurances by those in authority, periodic discussions on talk shows and all of the articles that have been published in this and other newspapers.

Antigua & Barbuda is not like India where certain animals are regarded as sacred, so they are left to roam freely. So why do we permit this situation to continue?

During the times when the donkey was the main means of transportation for the majority of peasants, and the animal pound was in operation, it appeared that people were more concerned with controlling their animals.

If the animals somehow wound up in the pound, the owners paid the fine to get them out. While many hanker for those good old days, others for whom those days were not so good would pooh-pooh such a thought.

We’ve come too far to turn back the hands of the clock. What we need instead is the will of the authorities and the rest of civil society to do their part in solving this problem.

Another issue that appears unsolvable is the age-old one where pet or stray dogs kill the animals of livestock farmers.

From the farmer’s perspective, his livestock is his investment. First of all, he spends thousands of dollars purchasing the animals. With respect to goats, depending on the pedigree, this could run him from as low as $500 to as much as $5,000 each.

Bear in mind that this is just the initial cost. If he crossbreeds, then there would be additional costs to include medication for the various types of illnesses that develop, as well as feed for the animals.

When these animals are killed by dogs, farmers see their investment going down the drain. To compound the issue, they cannot sell the meat to recoup their losses because nobody eats the flesh of animals that are killed this way anymore.

For those farmers who have their animals penned, the loss is felt even more when dogs dig holes under the wire fences and kill their animals.

The farmers do not get any compensation for their loss and there are no penalties for the dog owners. For one, it is difficult to find out who the owners are because sometimes these dogs travel far distances to other neighbourhoods; and even in cases when you do track them, the owners deny them.

Secondly, most farmers consider it a waste of time to seek redress through the court system since that entails a long drawn-out process, when they could be spending that valuable time caring for their investment.

It is because of these issues why some farmers resort to vigilante justice by putting down poison for the dogs to eat.

Thieves have also been known to set poison for dogs in particular areas before making their hit and in these instances, farmers are wrongly blamed for causing the dogs’ demise.

In cases where farmers deliberately throw poison in people’s yards where their pets are enclosed, the action is condemned and might even be considered criminal.

Just like the farmers, some dog owners invest in their pets and regard them as members of the family; hence the loss is just as heart-wrenching.

This problem cries out for a workable compromise. It might appear simplistic to suggest that one solution lies in livestock farmers and pet owners walking in each others’ shoes but perhaps a better one would be for those in authority and other civic groups to follow the example of the Humane Society that has been making an impact by reducing the number of stray animals on the streets through its spaying/neutering initiative.