Groups travelling to rural areas late at night to go hunting

A number of groups are travelling to rural areas of Sligo late at night to take part in hunting, a number of Councillors have claimed.

Sligo County Council say people should contact Gardai initially if they know of anyone hunting on lands with dogs who may be trespassing.

The issue was brought up at last Monday’s monthly meeting of Sligo County Council by Councillors Michael Clarke and Donal Gilroy.

Cllr. Clarke asked the council to call on the government to bring in legislation to ‘make the practice of baiting dogs illegal where persons enter lands and use terrier dogs to enter dens to flush out foxes and hares.

“They then set lurcher dogs to chase down and kill the foxes and hares. This is a barbaric and cruel activity that causes great distress to farm animals, also causing sheep to become distressed and abort lambs and cows to abort calves.

“Also, this council should advise dog owners that the lambing season is underway and that all dogs should be under their owners’ control at all times.”

The council said that the concerns regarding hunting on lands with dogs is a problem nationally.

“Contact should be made with Gardai initially where trespassers are involved. This has been an issue countrywide but isn’t really a ‘control of dogs’ issue as it relates to trespass and illegal hunting.

“The council ran a social media post before Christmas on the issue of sheep worrying by dogs which attracted over 17,000 views and it will be run again in the next few weeks as peak lambing season approaches.”

Councillor Clarke replied: “The guards tell you that these people are protected by tradition. The reason it’s a national issue is because the guards can’t enforce any laws, because there are no laws to enforce.

“We’re entering lambing season and we have dogs travelling through farm lands. They are out there to target foxes and hares, it’s a barbaric act. They destroy lovely animals. We need legislation to give Gardai powers to stop activity. It happens nightly out in West Sligo. People are travelling from towns, they’re not rural people.”

Cllr. Gilroy says that groups are travelling to rural areas throughout North Sligo from outside the area and they use lurcher type dogs to hunt and kill rabbits at night.

He said: “It’s happening late at night. It’s a dog control issue, the dog warden can’t be working 24/7. The problem isn’t the dogs the problem is the people who keep them.

“You have intruders walking through farmlands with free roaming lurchers as if they’re doing no harm. The stress that they cause to ewes.”