MELAKA: A Melaka executive councillor is turning into a “cow wrangler” to resolve the issue of livestock being a hazard to road users in Merlimau here.
State rural development, agriculture and food security committee chairman Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh has been locking horns with cattle farmers whose cows are posing a risk to drivers and motorcyclists and encroaching into properties.
“I have received complaints from locals about cattle roaming freely without the supervision of cowherds,” he said yesterday after he posted a video about the issue on TikTok.
Dr Muhamad Akmal, who is Merlimau assemblyman, said there were fatal incidents involving the livestock.
In the video, he says the cows are devouring crops and serious measures have to be taken to stop the menace of farmers leaving their livestock unattended.
He said he has opted to use tranquilliser guns to control the freely roaming cows.
“This is to teach the stubborn farmers that we will no longer tolerate their lackadaisical attitude and to prevent their cows from posing a risk to motorists.
“I will use the same method throughout the state if the farmers keep ignoring our call.”
In the video, Dr Muhamad Akmal and his volunteers are seen capturing one bull and loading it onto a truck.
When interviewed, A. Rajendran, 40, a local in Merlimau, said many vehicles were badly damaged after ramming into cows at various stretches in the district.
“Motorists are unable to avoid the animals, especially in dark areas,” he said.
He added that the stray cattle problem in Merlimau has been prevalent for a long time and worsened in the last decade due to the increasing number of cows there.
Rajendran said Dr Muhamad Akmal wants to find an effective solution to the problem.
