Farmers report rise in 'dangerous people' trespassing and hunting illegally

IFA deputy president Alice Doyle has called for dedicated Rural Crime units to tackle the surge in illegal hunting and lurching

Manager Vincent Cashman pictured with rescue lurcher, Percy, at the CSPCA centre in Mahon. He said that lurchers are now one of the main breeds being cared for at their animal refuge. Picture: Chani Anderson

Intimidation of rural communities by gangs amid a surge in illegal hunting, lurching and related trespass offences has been condemned as “outrageous” by Ireland’s leading farming body.

IFA deputy president Alice Doyle said her organisation is receiving regular reports from members across the country indicating a rise in these activities. Farmers and landowners are fearful about their personal safety as a result of threats and intimidation from such gangs illegally accessing their property, Ms Doyle said.

Glanmire woman Elaine Doyle said she was told by gardaí not to approach two men who were illegally hunting on a neighbour’s land — who they described as "dangerous people". She first spotted their high-powered torches when putting her daughter to bed.

“It was very blatant what they were doing. 

They set the lurchers on the fox who literally tore it asunder. 

"My partner went out just after it happened. It was still only 9pm so it wasn’t like this was happening in the dead of night.” 

Ms Doyle said the men adopted a threatening tone when her partner asked what they were up to.

“When my partner asked them what they were doing they told him they were entitled to be there. One of the men caught the lurcher by the neck to bring him over the wall. He also brought the fox with them. When my partner asked him why he was bringing a dead fox with him he said he was using it for training purposes."

She reported the men to gardaí. “When I spoke to them they asked us if we had talked to the people involved. When I told them that my partner had, they seemed quite concerned. They advised us not to talk to them or even approach them because they are dangerous people.” 

Despite efforts by gardaí to clamp down and prosecute such activities, the number of illegal hunters coming on to farmers’ lands is on the rise, according to the IFA's Alice Doyle.

She has welcomed the joint approach taken by Gardaí and National Parks and Wildlife Services in conducting checkpoints and operations to curb such activities, but she stressed that this needs to be done on a structured and ongoing basis. 

Percy the Lurcher sitting under a heat lamp after being rescued. The CSPCA said that lurchers, who are frequently used by illegal hunting gangs, are being abandoned and left for dead across Cork. Picture: Lorna Carr/CSPCA

She also said the IFA wants to see “realistic” fines and sentences for the crimes committed.

“We are calling for a dedicated campaign by relevant State bodies such as An Garda Síochána and the National Parks and Wildlife Service to tackle the gangs who act with apparent impunity, and for collaboration between various rural community groups such as the members of the National Rural Safety Forum to come out to support the State agencies,” Ms Doyle said.

She said Northern Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales all have dedicated Rural Crime units to tackle the issue, and the IFA wants to see the establishment of a dedicated Garda Section/Unit such as a Rural Safety Unit to co-ordinate patrols, monitor burglaries and share intelligence with other police forces.

“There has to be a high-visibility approach by gardaí and strong deterrents to curb these gangs and individuals from trespass, illegal hunting and intimidating and threatening people.” the IFA deputy president said.

Meanwhile, the CSPCA said that lurchers, who are frequently used by illegal hunting gangs, are being abandoned and left for dead across Cork. 

Staff at the CSPCA are hopeful that rescued Lurcher Percy will be a candidate for rehoming after some TLC. Percy arrived at the CSPCA recently in a very poor condition, it is likely she was being used for illegal hunting. Picture: Chani Anderson

CSPCA Manager, Vincent Cashman said that lurchers are now one of the main breeds being cared for at their animal refuge in Mahon. 

A significant portion were neglected and subsequently dumped after hunters found no use for them anymore. He said it is becoming virtually impossible to track down the culprits, given that the lurchers they take in are not microchipped.

“It’s fair to say that not all lurchers hunt, whether they were bred for hunting or not,” Mr Cashman said. “If their owners find the lurchers are useless to them they will dump them. They can be found in any town, village or suburb. 

"You get genuine people losing their dogs every day of the week but this is different. These dogs are coming to us emaciated. Some of them have severe skin conditions. It’s clear they haven’t received any veterinary care. 

"Unfortunately, they are not chipped so there is no way of proving ownership. These dogs are treated as commodities. It’s like anything. Just because lurchers are bred for hunting doesn’t mean they are going to be good at it.” 

He said it’s illegal blood sports that cause most issues.

“The hunting fraternity can be frowned upon. However, the issue is the illegal and out of season hunting. There are a lot of people who look after their lurchers very well and take pride that they are worked. Unfortunately, there are also a good share of people who don’t.” 

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Mr Cashman is hopeful that the lurchers in his care will find forever homes in the upcoming months.

“A lot of people are looking for small and medium dogs and lurchers can be quite large. There are a lot of misconceptions about them as pets. Some people have them mixed up with greyhounds. They are under the impression that they will need to be running 24/7 even though this isn’t the case. 

"People’s fear is that they won’t be able to keep up with the exercise but generally speaking lurchers are couch potatoes. They are fine once they get a bit of exercise.” To find out more about the CSPCA visit cspca.ie.