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"Zorro" distributes beef to the poor

CAMAGÜEY, December 17 (Normando Hernández, / www.cubanet.org) - A man who calls himself "Zorro," after the storybook character, has been killing cattle from the government herd and distributing the beef to the needy, according to sources in Camagüey province, and police don't have a clue as to who he may be.

"December 15, Zorro slaughtered a cow, and went around knocking on doors between 1:00 and 3:00 a.m., telling residents where they could go to get the beef," said Virgilio Mantilla Arango, an activist with the Cuban Human Rights Foundation in the municipality of Carlos Manuel de Céspedes.

Mantilla added that many residents got whatever they could carry, saying "We are going to get the beef Castro's government won't sell us."

Cubans rarely see beef, or meats in general. There have been reports lately of unscrupulous operators who have packaged dog meat and sold it as mutton, at eight pesos a pound.

Although the theft or illegal slaughter of livestock is severely punished, it seems to be a growing problem. The government has not released official figures.

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Zorro strikes again

CAMAGUEY, February 15 (Normando Hernández, CPIC / www.cubanet.org) - Zorro is back after several weeks underground, and another steer from the government's herd has been the subject of a midnight distribution among the townspeople of Céspedes, Camagüey province.

"If Fidel Castro and his cronies eat beef, why can't the people and I not do the same," read the note left behind by whoever slaughtered a cow near the Yaguarama reservoir and then went door to door in the wee hours of Tuesday, February 12, telling residents where the cow was so they could help themselves.

A local dissident, Virgilio Mantilla, said Zorro has become a legend in the area. "People in Yaguarama consider him a humanitarian person, since he has never profited from the beef," said Mantilla. "I wish there were more like him in Cuba."

The reason there may not be more like him is that Zorro is risking draconian penalties if caught. The Cuban government treats illegal slaughter of a steer as tantamount to treason or sabotage, and people commonly remark, only half-jokingly, that those convicted of illegal slaughter have received longer sentences than those convicted of murder.

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El zorro strikes again, rustles 10 steers for the people

CAMAGÜEY, June 13 (Normando Hernández, CPIC / www.cubanet.org) - An unidentified man who people in the municipality of Carlos Manuel de Céspedes, Camagüey province, have taken to calling El Zorro for his propensity of slaughtering cattle belonging to government farms and offering the carcasses to the people, struck again between June 7 and 10.

"El Zorro slaughtered 9 steers in the early morning of Friday, June 7, in Yaguarama district and one more on Monday in a nearby field," said Niurkis Padrón, an area resident.

According to Padrón, the man then went house to house, knocking at doors and telling residents where the carcasses were, asking them to take meat for their own consumption and to leave the rest for others. Padrón added that the man is always careful to shield his face so he won’t be recognized.

"Those who went to the places pointed out by El Zorro took all the meat they could carry. One of them said he took it because the government will not sell it to the population," said Padrón.

Another resident said: "El Zorro never profits from the meat, so people in the area consider him a humanitarian person."

Whoever it is people call El Zorro exposes himself to severe penalties the government imposes on the theft and illegal slaughter of cattle, for which the Penal Code assigns sentences of from 4 to 10 years in jail.

In spite of the steep penalties, clandestine slaughter of steers and horses seems to be a growth industry due to the scarcity of meat. Except for El Zorro, the others sell the meat in the underground market.

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