Hanover Parish Council Clearing Streets of Strays

Effective today (Oct. 30), the Hanover Parish Council will be removing stray animals from its roadways, starting with the clearing of the Dr. Aston King Highway, which runs from Great River to Lucea. Councillor Lester Crooks, Chairman of the Council and Mayor of Lucea, told JIS News that the animals removed would be placed in the animal pound in Montpellier, St. James.
He said the move to remove the animals had come out of an emergency meeting of committee chairmen of the Parish Council, the Secretary Manager and the Superintendent of Police for the parish, to address the increase in road deaths caused by strays.
He informed that the decision was taken to start with the Dr. Aston King Highway after a recent assessment found some 450 heads of cattle roaming freely along the Point main road, which is a three mile section of the roadway.
In addition, he said that just last week, a worker from the Hanover Health Department lost his life along the Point main road, after his vehicle collided with a stray animal. “Accidents are very prevalent on this road and many lives are lost as a result of the stray animals, with the most recent being last Wednesday. We cannot and will not allow this to continue. We are expecting full co-operation from the citizens of the parish to prevent further loss of lives and potential accidents”, Mayor Crooks stated.
He expressed the hope that the move by the Council would encourage owners within the parish to secure their animals. Mayor Crooks promised that the Hanover Parish Council would be monitoring the situation closely to ensure compliance with the laws that govern the care of animals.