Cow Detention Centre to ease traffic problems – there’s no udder way!
Published 05 July, 2008, 14:32
Drivers in a town in Russia’s Far East are getting tired of traffic jams, but the problem’s not with other cars – it's the town's cattle that are getting in the way. Now the town's authorities are clamping down on the offenders.
The town of Obluchye in Russia’s Far East is struggling with a traffic problem with a difference. You won’t see many cars on the streets, but the roads are being blocked by cattle – and the animals are playing havoc with drivers.
Tamara Pshenichnikova, Mayor of Obluchye, explains why there are so many cattle wandering around in the town.
“People say that they are busy working, that's why they open the gates in the morning, let their cows out and they roam wherever they want, at garbage dumps and other places.”
However, the town's authorities have an answer – the ‘Cow Detention Centre’. Car owners are now happy to see orange-jacketed herdsmen rounding up the wayward cattle.
Galina Rashkevich, head of the ‘Cow Detention Centre’, says it’s exactly the same as with impounded cars.
“Cows and sheep are taken to our centre, milked here, as we have a special milkmaid. Then we return it to the owner only if he has a special paper from the local administration. This is done because we want our city to be clean”.
But not all the owners seem keen to have their animals back. Leonid Zolotukhin got angry with the fact his cow was taken by the centre and he says he won’t buy his cow back.
“Let it die there, but I will not buy it back. I won’t keep cattle anymore!” he said.
The cows have learned fast from their experience and one glimpse of an orange jacket these days sends the herd stampeding off leaving the locals to clean up the mess.
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