Council to auction stray animals

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BULAWAYO City Council will next Wednesday auction stray animals in their holding pens, as they say they have been left unclaimed for far too long.

BULAWAYO City Council will next Wednesday auction stray animals in their holding pens, as they say they have been left unclaimed for far too long. LUYANDUHLOBO MAKWATI OWN CORRESPONDENT The stray beasts, the council said, would be sold in accordance with the Protection of Lands and Natural Resources Act, which gives the city council authority to sell stray animals when owners do not pay fines or collect them after a stipulated period of time, or when owners of animals fail to pay for them.

In a statement, acting town clerk Sikhangele Zhou said council would auction 24 domestic animals ranging from cows to donkeys.

“The council will auction domesticated animals which range from cattle to donkeys and their numbers stand as follows, seven cattle, two sheep, three goats and 12 donkeys,” reads the statement.

The council will auction one grey steer, a hornless brown cow, a heifer and a dark brown bullock, two rams and two he goats, and one female.

Over the past months, stray animals have been a cause for concern along the country’s major highways and have been viewed as the major cause of accidents.

Even in urban centres, motorists are now forced to drive with extreme caution as there are a lot of stray animals that are used for draught power by small-scale farmers in various suburbs and peri-urban set ups.

This has led to an increase in stray animals around the city.