This article is from page 8 of the 2007-03-27 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 8 JPG
AN EAST Clare councillor has called for wild deer to be culled, be- fore they start breeding with local cattle.
Cllr Colm Wiley (FF) warned that wild deer had taken to breaking down fences and roaming the roads of the county.
ae Wile Kenic rates through fences and eat- ing acres. of grass. |wenty or 30 deer grazing together can eat an awful lot of grass,’ he told a meeting of Clare County Council last week.
The councillor
has asked that the Minister for Ag- riculture be con- tacted and asked to introduce a programme of culling the deer. Action needs to be taken at an official level, he SrHIGE
The animals are becoming a haz- ard on the roads and causing huge amounts of damage to farmland, the Fianna Fail councillor said.
They are also roaming freely in for- estry plantations and their numbers are increasing at an alarming rate, he Sr AIGE
While hunters might take a small number for the pot, an organised cull is needed, Cllr Wiley said.
“Whether it’s marksmen from the
army or whatever, we need someone to take some of them out. There have been constant complaints and calls for control, but no-one is dealing with it. The deer are gaining ground. Next thing, they’ll be breaking down fences and breeding with the cattle,” Cllr Wiley said, to uproar from the chamber.
Cllr Pat Hayes (FF) said that there was a particular- ly large number of deer in East Ore
“They are a threat to motor- TISLIIE-0 (CMOS) Kom: NKs animal welfare and disease is- sues to be con- sidered. I believe we should deal with it through Duchas, Wale OPW and anyone else involved at a local level,’ he Sr HKGe
Cit Gerry Flynn (Ind) told the meeting that there were wild- life rangers in place, whose job
it was to deal with roaming deer.
ClUlr Brian Meaney (GP) said he
hoped that the message would not go out from the chamber, “that the elected members believe that there is any possibility of a cross-breeding danger between our cattle and the wild deer population.”