Big Cat Hunt Shows The Law Is An Ass
THE tale, or trail, of the Big Cat in North Antrim becomes more bizarre by the day, with reports claiming there might be not one wild animal in the region, but two, six or even 16 roaming the fields and the woodlands around Bushmills, Ballycastle, Ballybogey and Portrush.
Police are quite properly still conducting thorough searches for the cats, for very obvious health, safety and security reasons, but, very surprisingly, the USPCA has given up on the hunt and says the puma and panther must now be allowed to adapt to the natural surroundings, able to roam undetected.
This may be the high-minded moral sentiment expected of an organisation pledged to prevent cruelty to animals (even of a highly dangerous species?), but what happens if the wild cats attack and savage sheep - some believe they may have done so already - or, more seriously, put children and adults in mortal danger.
North Antrim is not a nature reserve for wild animals and the search must continue unabated until police and concerned civic society are satisfied that the threat to life from the elusive beasts is no more.
The wild animal chase in North Antrim has again highlighted the scandalous situation whereby anyone in Northern Ireland can be allowed to keep a lion, tiger, leopard, puma or panther in their homes, without interference from the appropriate licensing authorities or the police.
This anomaly does not occur in the rest of the UK, where strict laws are in place to prevent irresponsible house-holders from turning their homes into circus menageries or miniature zoos and placing the lives of their neighbours in jeopardy.
The Northern Ireland Office, we are informed, is currently preparing new legislation to better regulate dangerous wild animals here, a move that will receive a general welcome right across the community.
The Government cannot delay any longer putting in place laws which will red-card and prosecute those with a raw, quite irresponsible and uncaring passion for allowing wild animals to roam the highways and byways of this Province.
It's Clean-Up Time
LITTER louting and illegal dumping has for too long been a menace on our Northern Ireland landscape and the unsightly practice is costing the rate-payers millions of pounds that could be spent in much better ways.
All of our 26 district councils are having to heavily budget on cleaning up litter and waste randomly left in public places and, providing deterrents to the anti-social elements in society who indulge in these most unhygienic activities.
For instance, Newry and Mourne District Council faces an annual clean-up bill of £1.25million for removing the estimated 2,500 tonnes of debris and the hundreds of abandoned vehicles from its streets, and for beach cleaning at its coastal resorts.
In Belfast, the City Council is taking a more pro-active approach to litter removal after recent public criticisms of the deplorable state of city centre streets and yesterday the Council launched a new awareness campaign on paper re - cycling, targeted on 18,000 house-holders.
Multiplied across the 26 districts councils, the Newry and Mourne bill £1.5million would translate the Province-wide figure for confronting litter-related problems into a hefty £30million.
That, in stark terms, is the kind of money which could transform our cities, towns and villages with a more healthy environment and a better infrastructure.
http://www.newsletter.co.uk/story/1232: 26th September 2003