Clarendon goat farmers fear thieves

For about six months, farmers in a section of southern Clarendon could breathe a sigh of relief as goat thieves preying on farmers had eased up.

However, according to one farmer, they are faced yet again with goat theft as the party season heats up.

John Black*, a goat farmer who has lost 12 of his animals in recent weeks, believes that the theft of the goats is linked to the party season.

"Everything did calm enuh, but every time dance start keep again, goat start go missing days before," he said.

Black, who has been farming for the past 12 years, said that he is frustrated by what is happening and that people are afraid to speak up because the men in the community are responsible for their pain.

"The dance bring money, but sometimes the man dem weh a keep dance don't have the money to buy everything that they need, like the liquor. Since goat easy to sell and it plenty around here, dem just take them," he said.

He said that he is not the only one who is facing this situation as other farmers are complaining about their herd. He told CENTRAL STAR that they have informed the police about what is happening, but no one is willing to say who the culprits are.

The Clarendon police said they are not aware of goat theft being used to finance parties, but Black and the other farmers are adamant that this is so.

Black said that farmers are afraid to speak up out of fear that they could be killed.

"The people dem just feel intimidated, and me, too, because the man dem wi kill wi if we ever inform, so wi just affi a stick it out and hope the police do supm soon," Black said.

"Whenever dem start, dem nah stop, and a that a bother me," he said.