The herd has been rounded up.

A group of feral beef cattle creating problems for land owners and farmers in Sophiasburgh ward were captured and returned to their owner in mid-May.

“Under the Ontario Pounds Act, the municipality was required to return the cattle to their owner, which it did after they were captured on May 18,” said Arryn McNichol, Director of Corporate and Legislative Services for the County.

The owner of the cattle is responsible for paying the costs of the capture and return. Any damages incurred by the running-at-large herd are also the responsibility of the owner.

In addition, “the property owners whose land was damaged by the cattle would have to seek restitution through the civil court process,” said Mr. McNichol.

In early April, County Council appointed a pound keeper to deal with large animals that escape enclosures and are running-at-large. The  development of the bylaw was in direct correlation to a report of upwards of a dozen steers running at-large northwest of the County Rd. 49  and Fish Lake Road intersection this past winter.

Under the new bylaw, the owner of the livestock is to be liable for all damages caused by such livestock; expenses incurred by the pound keeper in the round up will be recovered by action, or by adding the costs to the tax roll and collecting them in the same manner as property taxes. The bylaw works in conjunction with the Ontario Pounds Act, which makes it illegal for farm animals to be at large.

Municipalities must manage this issue through creating their own bylaw, however, which allows for the appointing or contracting of a pound keeper and a mechanism to recoup costs from a negligent owner.

Under the bylaw, the pound keeper is called to the scene if animals are trespassing on another property or in the potentially dangerous situation of running loose. 

The pound keeper and any delegates or sub-contracted service people will capture the animals and hold them safely until they can be returned to their owner. 

The County’s bylaw defines livestock as any domesticated fowl, horse, donkey, mule, bull, ox, cow, goat, swine, sheep, llama, mink, fox, emu, or ostrich. Owners of livestock are responsible for managing them safely.

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