The Union of Agricultural Producers (UPA) of Mauricie believes it will eventually be able to capture the herd of cows that have been free for several months in the region, but deplores the lack of support from the competent authorities.
Twenty animals are free near Saint-Sévère after escaping from their enclosure in July. They managed to dodge previous attempts to capture them, even that of a team of cowboys from Saint-Tite.
According to the spokesperson for the UPA Mauricie, Jean-Sébastien Dubé, agricultural producers are currently at work in order to set up a scheme to put their hands in the collar of the animals which have been making the headlines since the publication of an article in the News from earlier this week.
Producers have been installing feeders since Wednesday to attract cows. These devices, however, have the particularity of being able to capture the heads of cows while they are eating, which would allow their owner to recover them.
This technique may seem simple, but it will still require “patience and thoroughness,” according to Mr. Dubé.
“These are cows that have been on the run for several months, which have been returned to the wild and which have not necessarily rubbed shoulders with humans – because they are young cows”, he recalled on Saturday in interview with The Canadian Press.
“So we have to be extremely patient and extremely meticulous in our operations so as not to scare them away. We can also understand that they may have been attacked by coyotes or whatever, so it’s normal that the cows are fearful, ”added the spokesperson.
The cows approached the feeders on Friday evening and they remained close on Saturday. Mr. Dubé continues to believe that they will end up taking the bait.
Earlier Saturday, the UPA had launched a call to find volunteers who have expertise or equipment that could possibly be used in an operation. Mr. Dubé stressed that the UPA does not intend to immediately use the services of these volunteers, but that it is better to know where to find help when you need it quickly.
Mr. Dubé also does not think that the animals put the safety of the public at risk – although some cows were seen in the middle of a street Friday evening.
Lack of leadership
The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food of Quebec (MAPAQ), which described the situation as “complex and unprecedented”, sent a team to implement a plan to capture the herd.
Jean-Sébastien Dubé, however, would have liked to see the MAPAQ play a more important – and faster – role in this file.
“We would have liked the MAPAQ to put in place an intervention plan with, if necessary, other departments — we are talking about Wildlife, Public Security, the Sûreté du Québec and municipal authorities — to determine how we coordinate this. “, he explained.
“There is really no authority that was present on the ground to coordinate search and rescue operations, so we left the task to citizens and producers to bring back these cows. It’s a bit like letting people whose house is burning put out the fire, which seemed a bit illogical to us. »
The mayor of Saint-Sévère, Jean-Yves St-Arnaud, told The Canadian Press on Wednesday that the municipality had asked the government for help, but that the MAPAQ and the Ministry of Wildlife told him that they would not did not take care of farm animals.
Mayor St-Arnaud estimated that the animals caused between $20,000 and $25,000 in crop damage by lying down in soybean fields and chewing corn cobs. The municipality was not informed of the run until October, when the heifers began to roam on residential lots and in the streets.