Wildlife attacks prompt call for tighter controls

THE county dog warden has issued a strong warning to hunting dog owners, calling for tighter controls in East Clare amid concerns over ongoing attacks on wildlife in the area.

Clare dog warden, Frankie Coote, said, “I have concerns in East Clare about the control of dogs. It is an issue in the Kilanena to Killaloe area where hunting hounds are being let loose. I witnessed the issue myself recently in Tulla where I got a call from a vet to help assist with a deer in calf that had been chased by fox hounds and had been knocked down. She was in calf at the time and was actually having a calf. She ran out on the road and went under a car causing damage to the car and she subsequently died,” he said.
He said he has not located the owners but has issued a warning to all hunting dog owners in East Clare that they are required to keep such dogs under control, particularly now that the hunting season is over and animals are in calf.
“I have concerns about hounds being let loose as this causes concern for farm animals and for wildlife. The hunting season is over and I have particular concerns in the general East Clare area. I’ve had complaints of several sheep killed. Both the deer and calf died in that other incident and she would have had her young faun if the dog wasn’t let loose. I have come across this several times where dogs are hunting wild in the mountain and owners should be advised it is against the law to have these dogs loose. These hunts people know their seasons. I need help from the locals to ascertain who is letting these dogs out, so I can advise them on the law on this. I’m appealing to dog owners to keep them under control,” Mr Coote explained.
Claire O’Loughlin of Ceithre Cos veterinary surgeons in Tulla described the scene, where the young deer was killed.
“Myself and my colleague, Róisín Doyle, were called out to try to treat this deer. We went up to her and she had been calving but by the time we got there, she had died. We were told that there were hounds chasing her. She was in calf, so she would have been an easy target. Unfortunately, we couldn’t save the calf, the umbilical chord was still attached and so she he couldn’t get any oxygen when the mother had died,” she explained.
Ms O’Loughlin also highlighted the need to keep such dogs under control. “Hounds have a natural hunting instinct and could go for other animals,” she concluded.