Cattle thieves are the bane of Kazakhstani cattle farmers

According to Kazakhstan's Interior Ministry, 1,541 cattle were stolen over the first nine months of the year 2021 alone. A World of NAN reporter checked with the police department to find out where the "two-legged pests" most often operate and how to protect your livestock.

For villagers, a few cows can be a source of permanent income, so losing cattle is a fatal financial blow. Even for a large farm, the loss of a few cows is significant. Unfortunately, the "two-legged pests" do not think about this and continue their criminal activities. Today they are not even fazed by the article 188-1 of the Criminal Code - "Cattle stealing" which provides for maximum penalty in the form of imprisonment up to 12 years and confiscation of property. Since the beginning of the year, 6033 cattle have been stolen across the country and only 3604 of them were returned to their owners. Most of all cattle thieves operated in Almaty, Turkestan, East Kazakhstan and Kyzylorda regions.

It should be noted that police posted mobile posts that include specialists of territorial veterinary control inspectorates in the most affected regions. In addition, special task forces have been created to suppress criminal activities of cattle thieves in the area. However, as practice shows, these measures are not enough. First of all the owner should take care of his own cattle. It is cattlemen's carelessness that most often causes the theft of animals. Uncontrolled grazing makes it easy for criminals to steal cattle and get away with it.

According to statistics from the police department, the main number of cattle thefts is committed from free grazing. Therefore, farmers need to keep an eye on livestock in the first place. Of course, private farms have no opportunity to hire a shepherd. In such cases, district akimats can organize collective pasturing through a tripartite agreement "owner-akimat-shepherd". Then, the shepherd will be responsible for the animals and must guarantee their safety. It is not easy for private subsidiary farms, but large farmers should not let their guard down either. For them it is important to strengthen the pens and to tag the animals in time. The police also recommends wider use of modern methods. For example, the installation of GPS-trackers will have a positive influence on the search for stolen or lost cattle.

Naturally, the listed measures do not guarantee one hundred percent safety, but it will make it more difficult for the criminals or help the police to find them. Remember, if you find cattle thieves, your safety is much more important. The Criminal Code stipulates a fine of up to 3000 MCI or imprisonment of up to 3 years for vigilante violence. Take care of yourself and your cattle.