The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) has appealed to anyone with information on an incident in which a toxic substance was placed outside a badger sett in north Tipperary to come forward.

The incident is being treated as a “premeditated attempt to poison a protected wild animal”.

The NPWS stated that the incident occurred in January and involved an incident where apples which appeared to contain an unidentified substance were found by Department of Agriculture staff in an area north of Carrig.

The material was brought to Athlone regional veterinary lab for analysis by NPWS personnel, who were promptly alerted to the incident by the Department staff.

Highly toxic

The substance was identified as one “highly toxic to badgers” by the State laboratory, but its identity has been withheld for “operational reasons”.

Badgers are listed as protected under the Wildlife Acts and it is an offence to wilfully interfere with the breeding or resting place of a badger, as well as to injure or hunt one.

The NPWS can be contacted confidentially through its regional office 01-539 3199 or by email at WildlifeEnforcement@npws.gov.ie.