Rancher plagued by repeated fence vandalism

Rancher plagued by repeated fence vandalism

CBC News Posted Aug 10, 2011 6:11 PM MT

A rancher west of Cochrane says somebody is repeatedly cutting down his fences, allowing his livestock to escape.

Doug Richards, whose operation supplies horses and bulls to rodeos throughout western Canada, said the vandalism has cost him thousands of dollars.

“This is the sixth time since last February that I’ve had this problem,” he said.

Most recently the culprits cut wire from 125 of the fence posts on the property that the Richards family has leased from the Alberta government since the 1930s.

The trouble began two years ago after the province asked Richards to move a fence. Its new location blocked access to an old cabin site, he said.

“The cabin burnt down 15 years ago,” he said. But the people who once used it continued to camp in the area, he said.

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