Hundreds of roaming cows wreak havoc in North Macedonian town, frustrating farmers

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Residents of Kriva Palanka in North Macedonia are dealing with a herd of over 1,000 roaming cattle

Residents of Kriva Palanka in North Macedonia are dealing with a herd of over 1,000 roaming cattle

KRIVA PALANKA, North Macedonia -- They descend from the surrounding hills, mostly at night, chomping their way through gardens and crops to satiate their hunger.

For years, residents of Kriva Palanka, a farming town of about 19,000 people in northeastern North Macedonia, have struggled with a herd of roaming cattle that has grown to more than 1,000 animals, destroying property and threatening their livelihood.

It's not just crops. The wandering cows pose a serious risk to the town's water supply and to drivers on a road that leads to neighboring Bulgaria, residents say.

Many fault the country's bureaucratic maze for failing to enforce a 2024 Food and Veterinary Agency order to seize the herd from their three owners.

And even when authorities took legal action against one of the owners, bureaucratic failures derailed the case and allowed the owner to walk free, Kriva Palanka Mayor Sashko Mitovski said.

Mitovski said residents have had enough and are staging protests to urge authorities to take action.

He is asking the conservative government of Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski to declare a 30-day state of emergency in the municipality for authorities to resolve the bovine problem once and for all.

“The number of cattle has increased from 400 four years ago to more than 1,000 today,” Mitovski told The Associated Press.

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