In honour of Redman #4049

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Upon reading the article about the criminal slaughter of Batalal Nanan’s prize bull, I was moved to connect with him and offer condolences.

Mr Nanan had cared for the bull from its birth. I could not imagine the level of trauma he must have felt that morning – checking as usual on his treasured animal and finding only its head and intestines. I contacted the newspaper, got his number and called.

Mr Nanan told me that he is an animal lover and rears animals as a hobby – “for the love of it.” At times he would even forego his own needs in order to afford supplies for his animals.

When he told me that his bull had lived its life almost like a human, I knew that he was referring to his loving care for it, and to their bond. This was not just "a bull." To the non-meat-eating Mr Nanan, it was not even food – yet, at its tragic end, it had been reduced to mere meat slabs at the savage hands of the perpetrators.

In honour of "Redman" (Bull ID #4049) I will share some of Mr Nanan’s sentiments on their relationship.

“He born and grow with me. I have the mother. She get old. That was the last young one she made. We paid to get the breeding from the ministry’s artificial service. AI (artificial insemination) Service, they call it.

“Over the years I cared about it, make sure it suck milk, make sure we give it water, take him from the sun and put him in the shade.

“When he got big we had to separate him from the mother, then put him by heself to grow. I was growing him to see how big he woulda get...and it happened.

"First bull I end up minding so long. I had him almost four years.

“As he hear the vehicle sound from a distance, he done get up and looking out, just like human. Them animals, if you get accustomed with them, if you see how loving! You don’t want to get rid of them. Them come by the van and eat from yuh van tray. The only thing them can’t do is talk. Ah telling you!

“He would let you play with him. He bend down his head and you scratch his neck. And when he drink and raise he head again, he want a next bucket. He would drink four buckets of water one time. You have to give them water with that kind of sun we get all day. Or they go black out.

“What they do to he real sad. It come like a human you lost. You know when you go to a funeral service, you silent, you can’t talk. Up to now every time I pass with my vehicle, my eyes hard to watch down there.

"They carry him by the tree, tie him up and kill him right there.

“He head was so big...and don’t talk about he neck! When that cut off and you see that big head rest down there...If you see that head...I could never forget seeing that.

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“The kinda thing I would say to them who do it – people would say I violent or something but...I don’t want to think no negative thoughts or no kind of evil thing. We is churchgoing people, so I don’t have those thoughts in my mind. But it very unfair...minding he for four years and someone come and do that. It is a big loss.

“People calling and coming and checking me, asking what I doing with the balance of them animals. We go have to decide. Them men will come back, because that is work for them. It come like a person who go about tiefing car. These fellas doing that now for a living.

"So we going to be making mobile patrol when the night reach, monitoring the cattle.

“The way how thing going in Trinidad, people getting killed left, right, centre and nothing happening...So what justice I go get? But if the police make a breakthrough, that go be good.

“I warning farmers who have animals. Be alert! These men operating every night, and could slaughter out your farm. Them pick up a new work.”

May Mr Nanan get the justice and protection he and his animals deserve.

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"In honour of Redman #4049"

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