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In recent weeks, two reports on social media have raised alarms in Villa Clara and Sancti Spíritus, where farmers are reporting the theft of mares in broad daylight, in incidents that many are already labeling as part of an increasingly widespread practice on the Island.
One of the cases occurred in Remedios, Villa Clara, where a "recognized and valuable" yellow mare was stolen, as reported by the page Facebook "El Más Puro Rodeo Cubano". The animal was taken around 11:00 in the morning, a time that highlights the impunity with which the perpetrators act.
The report urgently seeks help to locate her and offers a reward for any information. The message is clear and desperate: to recover the animal without causing it harm. “Don’t kill her, don’t hurt her,” they plead, aware that many of these thefts end with the illegal sale of meat.
This situation is compounded by another reported case in Jatibonico, Sancti Spíritus, by Bienestar Animal Cuba (BAC) where a family lost a mare they had raised for months with great effort. According to reports, the animal was only used once a week to transport food, a reality that reflects the precarious conditions in which many farmers live.
The accusation goes beyond an isolated incident. Activists and citizens warn of the existence of an organized network dedicated to the theft and slaughter of horses and mares for sale on the black market. "It's a mafia," they claim, also highlighting the inaction of the authorities regarding these crimes.
The impact is not solely economic. For many rural families, these animals represent their primary means of transportation and livelihood. Losing them means being left practically defenseless in the midst of the crisis.
As reports of crimes rise, so does fear. Farmers claim to live under constant surveillance, knowing that at any moment they could become the next victim of a crime that, rather than diminishing, seems to be gaining ground in several provinces of the country.
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