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Agriculture
GRAPHIC IMAGES: Livestock owners traumatised by brutal stock theft tactics─── SABRINA DEAN 08:05 Tue, 24 Jan 2017
Bloemfontein - Livestock farmers in South Africa are not only suffering economic losses due to stock theft but are also being left emotionally traumatised by the brutality of the incidents.
Chairperson of the national livestock theft prevention forum, Willie Clack, says hundreds of animals are lost this way on a daily basis.
“The public in South Africa is very supportive of rhino conservation but do people really understand the fact that we are losing cattle on a daily basis. And that they are stolen in these brutal manners, more and more and more on a daily basis.
“We should think about it. We are losing 197 head of cattle in South Africa on a daily basis. We are losing 247 sheep per day and we are losing about 95 goats per day in the country.”
He says it is high time for members of the public to show the same type of passion and concern for the fight against stock theft as is accorded rhino poaching. Clack adds that in addition to the economic and emotional costs, stock theft also poses major health risks.
“We see these bush butcheries where meat is sold that doesn’t comply with any safety regulations, with the Meat Safety Act. It doesn’t comply with health regulations.
“Those are the kind of things that the public need to bring to the fore because that’s where the stolen cattle are sold off.”
*Impact of livestock theft
*Economic impact of livestock theft
2010/2011 | 2011/2012 | 2012/2013 | 2013/2014 | 2014/2015 | ||
Cattle | Stolen | R484,800,000 | R621,099,000 | R557,820,000 | R598,017,000 | R610,467,000 |
Recovered | R211,664,000 | R288,855,000 | 233,760,000 | R231,735,000 | R247,632,000 | |
Loss | R273,136,000 | R332,244,000 | R324,060,000 | R366,282,000 | R362,835,000 | |
| Stolen | R117,022,100 | R141,675,000 | R138,105,000 | R127,540,800 | R143,541,200 |
Sheep | Recovered | R24,103,300 | R 35,353,500 | R 32,052,450 | R 26,660,800 | R 35,523,200 |
Loss | R 92,918,800 | R106,321,500 | R106,052,550 | R100,880,000 | R108,018,000 | |
Stolen | R 53,992,500 | R 68,132,600 | R 61,230,750 | R 62,978,400 | R 65,037,000 | |
Goats | Recovered | R 15,117,000 | R 20,063,400 | R 16,222,500 | R 19,080,000 | R 18,297,000 |
Loss | R 38,875,500 | R 48,069,200 | R 45,008,250 | R 43,898,400 | R 46,740,000 |
The numbers of livestock species stolen in the year 2015/16 have not been made available yet by the SAPS, but this is the most recent information.
*Graphs and tables created by the National Stock Theft Prevention Forum.
Photos supplied by the National Stock Theft Prevention Forum.
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