Animals damaging headstones

FOUR-LEGGED ANIMALS are disturbing the sanctuary of the dead at Westbury Cemetery.
Several headstones have either been broken or ripped out of the ground by cows and sheep that have been tied to them to graze. A concerned Barbadian, who summoned the DAILY NATION to the St Michael cemetery yesterday to see first-hand a large black cow tied to one of the graves by a chain, called it disgraceful.
A workman at the cemetery said the animal belonged to a nearby resident. He said the cow was among other animals that were left tied to graves almost every day. And pointing to a number of broken headstones, he said some of them were damaged as a result of animals being tied to them.
It is understood that some grave owners have been complaining about the situation to the Sanitation Service Authority, which has responsibility for the cemeteries, and have also demanded to be compensated for damages to their headstones.
The cost of headstones ranges from $600 to several thousand dollars.
Back in 2009, superintendent of cemeteries Ricky Cummins  publicly condemned the practice of tying animals to graves at the cemetery. Efforts to reach him yesterday were unsuccessful.
(MB)