Westmoreland Animal Pound to Reopen Shortly

The animal pound in Westmoreland will be repaired and reopened shortly to address the ongoing issue of stray animals on the streets, which have caused road crashes.

An animal pound is a place where stray livestock are impounded. At the facility, animals are usually kept in a dedicated enclosure, until claimed by their owners or sold to cover the costs of impounding.

Addressing a recent meeting of the Westmoreland Municipal Corporation, Mayor of Savanna-la-Mar, Councillor Bertel Moore, said “we have noticed that stray animals are out there again”.

“There was a time when you wouldn’t see any cows or goats on the street, but now you are seeing them all over again,” he noted.

Mayor Moore said that the Corporation and Pan-Caribbean Sugar Company will be undertaking repairs to the pound and animals that are found straying on the street will be taken to the facility.

“It is time that people understand that there must be a way to control their animals; they can’t just leave them loose,” he said.

While strays such as dogs are an issue in the parish, the increasing number of stray cows has become cause for concern.

Mayor Moore noted that just recently, a stray cow was the cause of an accident in the Negril area resulting in damage to a motor vehicle.

He implored citizens to be more careful in securing their animals or run the risk of having them taken to the pound once it reopens.

“So, for those who have the cows straying, they will be taken away and if they come back for them, they must assure us that they have somewhere [secure] to put them before the animals are released,” he warned.