Ethnoecology, Resource Use, Conservation And Development In A ...

lease do remain fenced off, and a long stretch of fence was constructed by residents
of Rupunau to prevent cattle from the adjacent Weirmoor ranch from entering farms,
but for the most part the animals have the run of the savannah, and Wapishana-
owned animals often mingle with those of the commercial ranches. Round-ups of
cattle are conducted after calving in order to brand young animals and make use of
the milk, and horses which range too far may be captured and brought closer to
home. Pigs also range freely, though their owners try to encourage them to remain
within fairly restricted areas. In most cases these are close to the homestead, but a
persistent increase in stocking density has led to an expansion into the unsettled
savannah areas in the west of the reservation. There are concerns in Maruranau that a
shortage of savannah land suitable for keeping livestock may soon be encountered if
current trends towards greater herds of livestock continue. In the case of both cows
and pigs, particularly errant behaviour on the part of any individual animal is
considered problematic, and may induce the owner to slaughter it. One reason for this
is the inconvenience involved in locating and keeping track of the animal, another that
such animals are considered to be particularly vulnerable to predation by jaguars or
pumas.
A more serious problem associated with domestic livestock is their predation of
cultivated plants. Savannah farms and gardens must be securely fenced against the
incursions of cattle and pigs, which considerably increases the workload associated
with the maintenance of the gardens. Pigs that persistently raid their owner's house
garden may be prematurely slaughtered for that reason. Cultivated trees at the
homestead, especially coconuts, must also be enclosed by fences in order that they
are not eaten and destroyed by browsing cows. Forest farms close to the savannah
are also vulnerable to cow predation, and those closest to the forest edge are often
at least partially fenced, or the entrance to the farm road blocked with a fence, for
this reason. Cows have been known to travel a mile or more into the forest to feed at
a farm, and for this reason many people prefer to cut their farm somewhat further in.
The owner of the livestock appears to assume little culpability in cases of farm-
raiding, and it appears that the onus is more on the farmer to ensure their fields are
protected. In cases witnessed during this study where one person's crops had been
damaged by another's livestock, the owner did not appear to be accountable to the
farmer for the damage caused. Another destructive habit of many cows is the eating
of clothes, which forces people to be somewhat vigilant when washing clothes and
hanging them out to dry. Some cows appear to be prepared to go to considerable
lengths to procure unguarded items of clothing, and one particularly notorious