Amid the economy slowdown, all sorts of burglaries and robberies are getting more and more rampant, including some bizarre cattle thefts that have stunned the public.
The latest case was reported at a small town of Kulim in Kedah, where two thieves loaded four cows into their Proton Wira modified for cattle rustling last Sunday, Jan 5.
Eventually, the duo was forced to abandon their car - which had the backseats removed to accommodate the cows - as it broke down after traveling some 15km.
A month ago, 50 skillful robbers - armed with six pistols - had intruded a cattle farm in Malacca and subdued five guards there, before they managed to ferry away 30 cows in two trucks.
Compared to chickens, ducks and goats, cows are the biggest commodity in size in regards to the livestock industry. And yet they turn out to be a ‘favourite’ of thieves due to their high market demand.
Some may also blame the depressed economy for inspiring certain groups to steal cattle for ill-gotten gains.
Based on the rampant acts, Penang Indian Cattle Farmer Association secretary M Asogan speculated that the beef black market is very active now.
In a recent interview with Malaysiakini, Asogan said that some butchers might collude with cattle thieves as buying stolen cows could save them at least RM700.
“A cow weighing between 250kg and 300kg can be sold up to RM3,100... but the price for stolen cattle is only around RM2,400.
“For the past six months, we only received one ‘cattle missing’ case on average, but now we get at least three cases every two months,” he noted.
Describing the thieves as “smart groups”, Asogan said they usually ferry the stolen cows straight to illegal slaughter farms to sell the beef immediately.
“With their swift action, the police have no way to check although farm owners lodge reports quickly. The beef could have been sold out at the market even before the police start investigations,” he added.
Bad economy breeds burglaries
Asogan said the cost to rear cattle increases by 20 percent every year, as the expensive fodder comprising of soy beans and wheat were all imported.
He further explained that domestic beef supply was only 20 percent of the local demand while 80 percent was imported, mainly from Thailand.
With this, Asogan said, domestic beef was actually sold for RM26 per kilogram, a higher price compared with imported beef sold for only RM13 per kilogram.
Besides the expensive domestic cattle, Jawi assemblyperson Soon Lip Chee of DAP opined that bad economic performance bred more burglaries, and this went to the extent that even rubbish bins were targeted.
Jawi - a state constituency located in Seberang Perai Selatan, Penang - is a small town that has more than 400 legal and illegal cattle farms, the highest number in the state.
As of 2013, Soon said, there were 176 licensed cattle farms in Penang, much lesser compared to 563 illegal farms, and among these, 422 were scattered around Seberang Perai Selatan.
He added that the cases handled by police were only the tip of the iceberg, as many unlicensed cattle farmers chose not to lodge reports after missing cows, due to the fear of revealing their illegal businesses.
“Usually, the unlicensed cattle farm owners do not have much revenue, so they don’t fence up the farm, thus creating opportunities for the burglars,” said Soon (left in photo).
According to police information on the modus operandi, cow thieves came in a group of five at least, with some armed with weapons to subdue farm guards.
The thieves would usually use blowpipes to sedate the animals before rustling the dazed cows, and then loading the cattle into modified cars, trucks or lorries.
Rampant cattle theft cases had directly disturbed the livestock rearers, including R Kalyana Kumar, who had lost a total of 27 goats in two years’ time.
To protect livestock, the farmer from Permatang Tinggi said, up to 11 cattle rearers at the area had come up with a joint effort in which the members were required to take turns for night patrolling, although there has yet to be any positive outcome produced.
“Last week, my neighbouring cattle rearer lost six cows; the thieves stole his cows at noon while he was out to get some hay,” he lamented.
To obtain statistics for cattle theft cases that have occurred nationwide, Malaysiakini tried to contact veterinary department director Abd Aziz Jamaluddin, but his officers said that the department had no relevant data.
However, according to news reports, Johor police had once crippled a syndicate that stole livestock in various states and nabbed 24 suspects, who were said to have been involved in 32 cases since 2012.
All in all, greater problems affecting consumers such as the growing black market and the bypassing of beef examinations were probably initiated, should the authorities keep ignoring cattle theft cases.
The latest case was reported at a small town of Kulim in Kedah, where two thieves loaded four cows into their Proton Wira modified for cattle rustling last Sunday, Jan 5.
Eventually, the duo was forced to abandon their car - which had the backseats removed to accommodate the cows - as it broke down after traveling some 15km.
A month ago, 50 skillful robbers - armed with six pistols - had intruded a cattle farm in Malacca and subdued five guards there, before they managed to ferry away 30 cows in two trucks.
Compared to chickens, ducks and goats, cows are the biggest commodity in size in regards to the livestock industry. And yet they turn out to be a ‘favourite’ of thieves due to their high market demand.Some may also blame the depressed economy for inspiring certain groups to steal cattle for ill-gotten gains.
Based on the rampant acts, Penang Indian Cattle Farmer Association secretary M Asogan speculated that the beef black market is very active now.
In a recent interview with Malaysiakini, Asogan said that some butchers might collude with cattle thieves as buying stolen cows could save them at least RM700.
“A cow weighing between 250kg and 300kg can be sold up to RM3,100... but the price for stolen cattle is only around RM2,400.
“For the past six months, we only received one ‘cattle missing’ case on average, but now we get at least three cases every two months,” he noted.
Describing the thieves as “smart groups”, Asogan said they usually ferry the stolen cows straight to illegal slaughter farms to sell the beef immediately.
“With their swift action, the police have no way to check although farm owners lodge reports quickly. The beef could have been sold out at the market even before the police start investigations,” he added.
Bad economy breeds burglaries
Asogan said the cost to rear cattle increases by 20 percent every year, as the expensive fodder comprising of soy beans and wheat were all imported.
He further explained that domestic beef supply was only 20 percent of the local demand while 80 percent was imported, mainly from Thailand.
With this, Asogan said, domestic beef was actually sold for RM26 per kilogram, a higher price compared with imported beef sold for only RM13 per kilogram.
Besides the expensive domestic cattle, Jawi assemblyperson Soon Lip Chee of DAP opined that bad economic performance bred more burglaries, and this went to the extent that even rubbish bins were targeted.
Jawi - a state constituency located in Seberang Perai Selatan, Penang - is a small town that has more than 400 legal and illegal cattle farms, the highest number in the state.
As of 2013, Soon said, there were 176 licensed cattle farms in Penang, much lesser compared to 563 illegal farms, and among these, 422 were scattered around Seberang Perai Selatan.
He added that the cases handled by police were only the tip of the iceberg, as many unlicensed cattle farmers chose not to lodge reports after missing cows, due to the fear of revealing their illegal businesses.“Usually, the unlicensed cattle farm owners do not have much revenue, so they don’t fence up the farm, thus creating opportunities for the burglars,” said Soon (left in photo).
According to police information on the modus operandi, cow thieves came in a group of five at least, with some armed with weapons to subdue farm guards.
The thieves would usually use blowpipes to sedate the animals before rustling the dazed cows, and then loading the cattle into modified cars, trucks or lorries.
Rampant cattle theft cases had directly disturbed the livestock rearers, including R Kalyana Kumar, who had lost a total of 27 goats in two years’ time.
To protect livestock, the farmer from Permatang Tinggi said, up to 11 cattle rearers at the area had come up with a joint effort in which the members were required to take turns for night patrolling, although there has yet to be any positive outcome produced.
“Last week, my neighbouring cattle rearer lost six cows; the thieves stole his cows at noon while he was out to get some hay,” he lamented.
To obtain statistics for cattle theft cases that have occurred nationwide, Malaysiakini tried to contact veterinary department director Abd Aziz Jamaluddin, but his officers said that the department had no relevant data.
However, according to news reports, Johor police had once crippled a syndicate that stole livestock in various states and nabbed 24 suspects, who were said to have been involved in 32 cases since 2012.
All in all, greater problems affecting consumers such as the growing black market and the bypassing of beef examinations were probably initiated, should the authorities keep ignoring cattle theft cases.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.