For years I’ve been concerned about the mistreatment of cattle kept around the town end of the runway. A lot of them are kept in areas where there is no grass but mimosa pudica plants that are toxic to cattle.

We call them

tita pikikaa. I don’t even think a human being with minimal common sense

would feed it to their animals.

These unhappy and thirsty animals escape whenever they can and wonder around Rangiura looking for something to eat and drink.

I’ve called the police many times to talk to the cruel and irresponsible owners. These innocent animals get attacked by dogs for simply trying to survive. I’ve also seen them disoriented while walking towards oncoming traffic.

Years later, there is no improvement except increased cattle suffering. I’m now wondering if our police department is real or a phantom one.

I’m sure all these cattle owners have access to internet. It took me less than five minutes to access the following information:

1. Cattle only wonder off when they’re hungry or thirsty.

2. They need to be fed with chopped forage around 10kg a serving twice a day.

3. They are grazing animals and need edible grass around them 22 hours a day.

4. They need between 55 and 112 litres of water daily.

A serious cattle owner would spend another five minutes online and get the

rest of the information required to be a responsible cattle owner.

Noone has the right to abuse animals.

Yours sincerely,

Ellena Tavioni.