Some Seven Thousand Cows ‘Disappear” in Villa Clara Province

Some Seven Thousand Cows 'Disappear" in Villa Clara Province / 14ymedio,
Orlando Palma
Posted on November 16, 2014

14ymedio, Orlando Palma, Villa Clara, 15 November 2014 – Around 7,000
head of beef cattle were presumed disappeared in the space of a year
during a count carried out in ten cattle ranches in the province of
Villa Clara, according to a report by the newspaper Juventud Rebelde.

The inspection, carried out by the province's Department of Livestock
Registration and revealed by the official newspaper, was carried out in
a group of agricultural production cooperatives where 51 animals were
found missing, whereas the State sector counted around 6,900 "not
found," which means the loss of practically the total inventory of these
ranches.

Among the explanations the ranchers offered their inspectors are: deaths
that could not be reported for lack of a veterinarian to issue the
relevant certificate; statistical errors; and – not ruling out! – the
possibility that the disappeared cows were victims of theft and illegal
slaughter.

To add a touch of science fiction to the matter, as if it had to do with
some kind of abduction carried out by extra-terrestrials, the
possibility was mentioned that some of the vanished cattle might
reappear, maybe because it will be less dangerous to get them from their
hiding places without much explanation than to face up and confess where
the innocent animals were kept.

Most of the missing heads of cattle were from the townships of
Manicaragua, Encrucijada and Sagua La Grande.

Translator's note: Cows in Cuba belong to the State and it is against
the law to kill and eat them. This post from Miguel Iturria Medina – Is
Killing a Cow Worse Than Murder – discusses the relative penalties for
murder of a human being versus slaughter of a cow. This post from Yoani
Sanchez — Male Heifers and Cow Suicide — discusses a creative ways to
get around the law.

Translated by MLK

Source: Some Seven Thousand Cows 'Disappear" in Villa Clara Province /
14ymedio, Orlando Palma | Translating Cuba -
http://translatingcuba.com/some-seven-thousand-cows-disappear-in-villa-clara-province-14ymedio-orlando-palma/