JVD residents allege goats being poisoned on nearby islands
Our newsroom was flooded with calls from persons living on the sister island who became aware of the situation and who want it to cease.
Speaking to this news site, Gregory A. Callwood, a resident of Jost Van Dyke, told our news site that the persons believed to have poisoned the goats are said to be connected to a conservation body.
“They have some people over here embarked on a project and they just decided to kill all the goats out on these islands. They are setting poison with water and a bush and it is very dangerous as people may eat the goat which had the poison,” alleged Callwood.
“We don’t know how a w***e woman could come in here and don’t respect the natives of the land,” he further said.
Callwood provided to this news site a letter that he received on May 29, 2013 from the National Parks Trust of the Virgin Islands saying that the goats are a problem and had to go. The letter was addressed to Callwood in his capacity as Chairman of the Jost van Dyke Action Committee.
“Consequently all of the goats will be removed from the islands with the full participation of the community and therefore the Trust would like to collaborate with the Jost van Dyke community to relocate the goats to Jost van Dyke,” said the letter in part.
Poisoning of goats will not be tolerated
Speaking with this news site, another resident Gerald A. Chinnery said the alleged actions of the persons will not be tolerated and intends to continue to voice his views against them. He also alleged on record that goats were being poisoned.
He said that for over 100 years his family and those of others have had goats roaming the areas of Big Tobago and Little Tobago.
“I am appalled at this situation and everybody I call about it is pissed off,” said Chinnery. He said on January 3, 2016 he intends to hold a public meeting about the issue with a view to deciding the way forward.
“We the residents of Jost van Dyke are upset at what is happening and we need the Minister of Natural Resources and Labour to tell us something because we are not going to sit back and be taken over by a private organisation,” he said.
Goat population a problem
Speaking with this news site, Kelvin Penn, the acting Chief Conservation and Fisheries Officer in the Department of Conservation and Fisheries, said he has not heard reports of the goats being poisoned. “This is the first I am hearing about it,” he said.
“I Know there was a plan to have some of the goats removed from the Tobagos, because the goats over there were [becoming an issue]. But I am not too sure whether they got approved or are being implemented,” he said.
“Generally you have the goats that are not native to that region and especially in a confined space where there were no natural enemies except humans. In that way they will multiply and eat a lot of the vegetation which will result in there not being any food,” he said. “So it is one of those cases where the theory is if you remove the non-native species which are the goats, it would allow the natural vegetation to thrive and there wouldn’t be any erosion on the islands,” he said.
Penn also confirmed that the Tobagos are part of the National Parks Trust. He said that he believes part of Little Jost van Dyke was also covered but not all of it.
When reached by this news site, Chief Agricultural Officer Bevin Brathwaite directed us to speak with his 'Communications Director' on the issue. However, attempts to make contact with this person were not successful as we were placed on hold but the person did not take the call.
Efforts by this news site to reach personnel from the National Parks Trust (NPT) for a comment proved futile.
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29 Responses to “JVD residents allege goats being poisoned on nearby islands”
We have had many pet dogs poisoned recently and have resorted to putting security cameras up in our area to catch these thugs in the act. Hopefully the police will then prosecute them to the full extent of the law and fine them also. It's a barbaric practice that could accidently poison and kill children playing in the area.
Got to ask ... Is that how you operate?
Mind you, I don't support the poisoning but as usual we miss the point.
Something must be done to protect our people. The down islanders worst than the Europeans.
The slave masters did not want educated slaves and the BVI private sector only want Bvilanders with short course certificates and associate degree. Every highly educated BVIlander in every sector who don't drink and spill their business and don't kissup is at risk of abuse, sabotage, the terrible effects of envy.
And to go further our local kissup artists are happy to through their own under the bus just to be in thing for a moment.
And the idiots at labour and immigration just keeping the migrants coming.
What a darn shame.
Hope its not from a local, they are all one big happy family...with a few rotten foreigners thrown in.
Kevin Penn stop being a puppet and man up , use ur port folio educate the public , tell these people who come amoung us that we DO NOT and CANNOT save the world and loose our CULTURE . While we saving Tobagos let Government put rest rooms and life guards on the beaches and STOP trying to disrupt/destroy our very way of life / culture
Second, why are there so many racist comments? Is this about goats and a way of life or paranoid people with race issues?
Third, are any goats actually being poisoned? I heard they were being shot (standard practice) and thus all this hoorah is nothing more than people beating their chest over rumors.
Common JVD, you guys need to evolve your backward ideas.