DPL Secretary Oscar M. Babauta yesterday said there are 20 ranchers in the area and the department also issued grazing permits for other parts of the island as well as on Rota and Tinian.
He said the Marianas Visitors Authority has expressed concern about the negative effect on tourism of cow manure in the Suicide Cliff area.
“Perhaps the cattle belong to some of the ranchers that were granted grazing permit around Suicide Cliff,” he told Variety.
But he said they have no way of identifying the owner of the cattle scattering manure at Suicide Cliff.
On Friday, Babauta issued a one-week grace period for ranchers and cattle owners to ensure that their cattle are contained in the permitted areas in Marpi.
Starting Aug. 26, cattle found on the loose will be seized and eradicated and cattle owners may also face revocation of their DPL-issued grazing permit.
“We want to protect the tourist site and the historical site. We just put out a warning to make sure they conduct an inventory of their cattle-heads,” Babauta said.
He is hoping owners would heed their call to secure their cattle.
DPL, he said, doesn’t have the capability to monitor cattle ranchers.
It’s stipulated in the terms and conditions of the issued permit that ranchers or the permit holder should be responsible for enclosing their cattle within the herd area, he added.
According to Babauta, the grazing permit is issued annually and has many conditions, one of which is to maintain the site properly and use it according to its purpose.
All permitees are current in their payment since they have to pay prior to getting their permits, he said.
DPL is charging $5 per hectare in addition to the $50 administrative processing fee for a grazing permit, he added.
Ranchers may request for a bigger portion of land depending on the number of cattle they have, he said.
“The more you request for more public land, the higher you pay,” he added.
Isidoro Cabrera, a rancher and officer of the local farmers group, said cow get loose when they’re thirsty and hungry.
He said cows will always look for a good pasture and when there’s not enough in the permitted area they will try to break the fence.
“The fence should be strong enough to hold the cows. Once they started going out of the fence, it will become a habit and they will jump over it,” he added.
Cabrera said cows on the loose pose traffic hazards.
