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A new campaign, "Keep Deer Poaching in Sight", is to focus on the illegal killing and poaching of wild deer.
The Irish Deer Commission (IDC) launched the campaign with the support of the Department of Culture, Heritage and Gaeltacht, An Garda Síochána, Coillte Teo, National Association of Regional Game Councils (NARGC), Countryside Alliance Ireland, British Deer Society and the Deer Alliance.
Report
“We would encourage members of the public, hunters and those who live in the countryside to report suspected deer poaching activity to their local garda station and/or to the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) conservation ranger,” said a spokesperson for the IDC.
Outlining some of the abuse carried out by poachers, the spokesperson continued: “The use of powerful lamps to confuse wild deer where they are then shot or set upon by dogs and bludgeoned to death, or increasingly, the use of night-vision equipment, coursing deer with dogs, and armed trespasses are just some of the illegal activities we see.”
Risk
Licensed deer hunters/wildlife managers currently maintain the deer population to minimise their impact on farmland, forestry and the wider ecosystem. However, according to the IDC: “The illegal killing of wild deer puts the management and conservation of wild deer at risk, along with livestock and rural communities at risk of harm or serious injury.
"Criminals are increasingly exploiting deer for financial gain, creating animal welfare issues and a risk to human health. After drug importation, firearms and human trafficking, wildlife crime generates the highest illegal income for criminals across Europe.”
Liaison inspectors have been appointed by An Garda Síochána to all divisions who will specialise in the detection and prosecution of wildlife crime under the wildlife acts.
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