Farmer desperate to find $600,000 bull

Although her hope of finding her prized $600,000 bull alive is extremely slim, Donette Medwinter, a resident of Old Harbour in St Catherine, is asking the public to be on the lookout for the animal that was stolen last Thursday.

Medwinter, who owns the animal with her common-law husband Robert Morris, said they are disappointed that their animal is possibly being stewed somewhere.

"Mi nuh think the cow alive enuh, but I wah ask the tief dem how dem could suh wicked suh to take away the biggest cow, too? What a heart dem coulda have? Mi couldn't do it, enuh. I want them to know that God is watching them and this is not going to make unno better, it going to make unno worse. The wrath of God is going to tumble down on yuh," she said.

Medwinter said they purchased the brown-and-black cow close to six months ago and were looking towards it reaching full maturity. She said persons in the community had reported seeing the bull on the sidewalk along with a strange truck on Thursday night.

"The farmer dem know how to track the cow, because yuh would see filth and all a dem ting deh. But we don't see no sign of it, and that mean to say it's a possibility that he was put in the truck. Dem go on the farm where the other cows were and cut off the rope. So we a wonder if dem did a go take all four. But I don't know what happen, so di tief dem leave. Right now we a try sell them because we nuh want dem come back for the rest," she said.

Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries Pearnel Charles Jr said the ministry, through the Praedial Larceny Prevention Unit, has been pursuing several strategies to combat the illegal activity. Charles said it is estimated that Jamaican farmers lose more than $5 billion per annum due to praedial larceny. Medwinter said it is challenging to rear cows.

"We have to catch water for them and cut grass for them. More time dem give trouble enuh, and we have to run up and down backa dem. Is a everyday ting dat fi we, and sometimes we watch dem. But yuh know say you can't watch the tief dem because dem a watch we, too," Medwinter said.

Persons with information on the stolen bull may call 876-836-2878, 876-828-5428 or 876-458-4313