Council receives complaints about roaming stock

Wild cows coming out of the bush looking for food are causing problems for Whangarei District Council animal control staff at Oakura, with legal advice being taken on what to do with the cattle when caught.
The council has received a number of complaints about the wandering cattle at Oakura over the past few weeks, spokeswoman Ann Midson said.
She said the council usually received about 24 to 30 complaints monthly about wandering stock and this latest problem was not adding to that number.
However, Ms Midson said, the roaming feral cows presented a unique problem.
The council has been having a running battle with stock owners in Mokau/Oakura in recent times with poorly-maintained fences leaving stock to wander on the roads almost at will, causing a potential danger.
"This is a new problem out there. It seems four or five cattle have been coming down out of the bush. They are feral cattle that are going across people's land and through backyards to get to the beach at Oakura," she said.
"That's different from the usual problems out there of stock on the roads. It's different because they are a bit feral and very wily and hard to round up. They also don't appear to have any owners that we can work with to solve the problem. They seem to be wild cattle."
Ms Midson said the cattle, which vanished back into the bush before they could be rounded up, may be seeking feed as grass in the bush doesn't grow during winter.
She said roaming stock on the roads is a real potential danger to the public, but this situation was "unique and complex" to deal with, especially when the animals' ownership was uncertain.
Ms Midson said the council was seeking legal advice on what its options were for the cows once they were caught. The council would normally bill an owner for the costs of corralling roaming animals. If animals could not be rounded up they are sometimes shot.
In the meantime, she said, people concerned about wandering stock anywhere in the district should ring the council's hotline as soon as possible on 0800 WDCINFO and animal control staff will be informed of the situation.