Safeguarding wildlife - Attitudes must change

That the Government has had to ban hunting of red deer hinds in Co Kerry to protect a remnant population says more about our attitude to wildlife than is comfortable.

That curlews, a species that has suffered an almost catastrophic population collapse, needed legal protection adds to that concern.

Deer hunting, or more accurately, deer poaching has become ever more prevalent as the recession tightens its grip, but even allowing for that, the need for a ban shows an attitude from an earlier time and is out of step with sustainable wildlife management. Ireland’s deer population is greater than it has been for centuries and this requires responsible management. The public can play its part in this essential project by refusing to buy venison from unreliable or suspicious sources.