Deer poaching 'rampant' on Cork/Kerry border
THE problem of wild deer poaching has escalated because of the recession and is now rampant along the Cork/kerry border, according to an association charged with the animals' protection.
The Wild Deer Association of Ireland say that game dealers and handling houses are paying cash for deer carcases with no questions asked, leaving wild deer vulnerable to being poached by unlicensed hunters acting illegally.
Headless deer carcasses have been found in parts of Kerry recently, and the WDAI say they have had reports from members of the public and licensed hunters that the practice is also happening in parts of Cork such as Millstreet, Inchigeela and Ballingeary.
"It is rampant along the Cork Kerry border," Damien Hannigan of the WDAI said this week.
"Red deer are a wild deer that have existed in Kerry since the Ice Age, they are being poached but they are protected under law. You need a licence from the Department of Environment to hunt and a form from the Gardai," he said.
The deer can only be hunted legally from dawn to dusk but Mr Hannigan said poachers use powerful lamps to dazzle deer, making them an easy target.
He said the poachers often shoot from roadways, contrary to laws prohibiting shooting within 60 feet of a public road, and this is happening along the Cork Kerry border from Bantry up to Inchigeela, Ballingeary and Millstreet forest areas.
The WPAI has launched two campaigns against poaching and is calling on the public to report incidents of illegal hunting.
Over the past year the WPAI received over 1,000 reports of deer poaching, from both members of the public and licenced hunters, Mr Hannigan said.
"In the current economic climate it has rocketed. People shoot the deer then sell it for €70 to game dealers and handling establishments. They often pay in cash so if you are on social welfare it is an easy way to make money."
- JOE LEOGUE
