BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – SOMETIMES before the crack of dawn some family members would be up and about attending to their flock of sheep or herd of goats. It was a passion, it was a lifestyle, it helped to pay the bills; but what once was a viable enterprise now seems to be a dying tradition.
Many people in St. Kitts and Nevis – even on their daily commute to and from work or school – would admit that they do come across flocks of sheep and or herds of goats and would readily admit that these animals are a nuisance, especially since they often line the side of roads or stroll casually across the path of oncoming traffic.
Be that as it may, a particular goat herder said that activity could answer a number of the dilemmas which the Federation faces.
Carlisle ‘Ellie Matt’ Browne has been a goat herder since he was 12-years-old. It is a tradition he holds dear and has declared that he would only cease from the practice when he is physically unable to continue.
Every afternoon, the 45-year-old Lower Monkey Hill resident – having concluded his duties in the construction industry – journeys to his home where he takes his 28 goats into the mountain area to graze and feed. And when they would have had their fill, he would escort them home. And of course the process is repeated daily.
A dying tradition
In an exclusive interview with SKNVibes, Browne said that over the years the number of sheep and goat herders has dwindled and he attributed this falling away to – among other things - the complaints which people have made about the pungent odour for which these animals are known.
“You know why many people don’t do goat herding anymore? It is because these are modern days and no one wants to smell any goat faeces around them, and the sanitary officers were complained to. So that backed off a lot of people from goat herding. When we were very young, there were many animals and we used to even tie them to the house and no one used to complain. But nowadays people are complaining…”
He also explained that with the modernisation of time, people have become more involved in other activities which resulted in them having less time to dabble in animal husbandry.
Risky business
In 2012, Browne’s flock was 80-plus strong and he discovered that after investing his time and money into the animals with the hope of a reaping a good reward, someone – obviously – had a different plan.
“In 2012 I lost lots of animals. I had just taken them to the mountain and I took them over in my paddock. This was sometime in May…I saw the goats begin to die after that. At one point all the goats fell down and were not moving, so I called the vet and he was unavailable. After a while, when the place got cooler, the goats got up and we went home. I later found that someone put poison in the goats’ water and they began dying.”
Browne declared that this type of business is a risky one, because if one is not careful one could be at the mercy of other animals or ill-minded individuals.
“The goats have to be tied out in the mountain, and when that happens people can steal them, dogs get into the pens and damage them. So you would have to be very careful and watch over them as much as you can.”
A source of food
The youngest of five, Browne got into herding following in his mother’s footsteps, and he admits that the animals have provided a good source of meat for his family and for others.
He explained that at this stage he would not be butchering any from his herd because, as he is just recovering from the devastating blow suffered in 2012, it would only be wise to wait until the herd grows before he commits any of them to be slaughtered.
But for the love of it
One would think that after having approximately 60 of his animals poisoned Browne would cut his losses and bow out of the business, but that is never an option for him.
He recalled that as child, when his mother ordered him to attend to the animals he would do so along with a friend, and barefooted they would venture into the mountains and allow the animals to graze.
More times that Browne could count he sustained injuries as a result of the prickles (kosha) that would bore the soles of his feel, because he did not have shoes for his protection.
But for some strange reason, he developed a liking for that part of husbandry and decided to stick with it.
“My mother used to have goats. And growing up my brothers, I used to go to the mountain to tie out the goats and we didn’t have shoes. So we used to get prickles in our feet and it was dangerous, but we grew to love it.
A lesson in responsibility, no time for the streets
“When I was growing up, having goats taught me responsibility. I knew I had to go and look after them because they can’t look after themselves. Yes, there were times when me and my friends would sneak away and go and play but I still had my responsibility at the back of my mind.”
Browne said he would strongly urge young people to get into husbandry because in addition to that element of responsibility it would occupy their time and making it less likely that they would be engaged in gang or other unsavoury activities.
“I encourage people to get into goat herding but young people seem like they prefer to be on the streets and liming around. This actually keeps you out of trouble and out of gangs and that sort of thing. I would tell any young person keep off the streets and even buy a young sheep or goat and take care of it, look after it. It would give you a sense of responsibility because once you have them you will always remember that you have to go and look after your animals.”
Only source of income?
Unless your herd is extraordinarily large, Browne explained, it is virtually impossible to rely on herding as the only source of income.
“It would be very difficult to rely on just goat herding to make a living. You would have to have an excessive amount like 3 000 in order to survive off of the sale of the meat of these animals. You would need to butcher every week, and if you have a little bit of them you can’t sell because in just a few weeks your stock would finish.”
He said goat herding is dying in St. Kitts and that it is one of the answers to shaving away a portion –albeit small – of the Federation’s astronomical food importation bill.
