376 CATTLE DISAPPEAR FROM RUVU RANCH TANZANIA [JULY 2012 - MARCH, 2013]

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Posted here on 25th April, 2013. 

 From the Guardian, Tanzania, 23 April, 2013

376  COWS DISAPPEAR !   SHAME  ON US!   THIS IS PUBLIC PROPERTY!

A total of 376 cows are reported to have disappeared mysteriously from Ruvu Ranch in Coast Region, betweem july, 2012 and March, 2013, police have confirmed.

The disappearance of the animals is contained in a letter dated April 2 this year that the general manager of the National Ranching Company (NARCO), Dr John Mbogoma, sent to the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Livestock Development and Fisheries.

The letter said the cows disappeared from the ranch between July last year and March this year.

"In a normal inspection conducted in the ranch by the internal auditor on February 27, 2013, it was discovered that 304 cows had vanished. The figure was obtained from the January 1, 2013, count,” the letter said.

It said following the count, the NARCO management formed a probe team to conduct an inquiry from July last year to March 6, this year.

Apart from the loss, the letter said a monthly report showed that Ruvu Ranch was leading in the deaths of cows which occurred in October last year.

"The loss was discovered to have occurred every month since July 2012, but it was not reported to the ranch authorities,” the letter said.

The confidential letter said that following the strange disappearance of the animals, the NARCO management reported the matter to the Chalinze police station on March 22, leading to the arrest of the suspects.

The case has been transferred to the Coast Region police headquarters for further investigation, the letter said.

Coast Regional Police Commander Ulrich Matei said police are still conducting investigation on the case.

He said the investigation is being carried out by experts from the police force, the Tanzania People’s Defence Force, the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau, the Tanzania Intelligence Services, the Immigration and the Prisons.

He said the aim is to use the expertise of every organ in crime fighting.

"We also want transparency in our investigation because the issue seems big requiring joint efforts.” he said.

"What I can only say is that investigations are continuing. I don’t want say where we have so far reached.”