LONG READ: Inside the 'seasonal scourge' terrorising rural landowners across Tipperary

Illegal hare lurching, which is rife at this time of year, continues to take a huge toll on wildlife and on many people living in rural communities across Tipperary and beyond.

The activity, which has been described in court by gardai as a "season scourge" sees groups of people (usually men) enter onto lands, without the permission of the landowner, with lurcher type dogs in a bid to find and kill the Irish hare. This is a crime and is punishable under the Wildlife Act.

Regional Manager of the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) for Limerick/North Tipperary, Dr Áine Lynch, says she gets “excited” when she comes across a hare out in the open now.

Given the fact the protected species has been under attack for years, she says it is a rare occurrence to see them in their natural habitat. 

Greyhound dogs mixed with a terrier-breed are typically used in this illegal hunting activity. Their owners search for a hare, walk towards it and when the hare is frightened, a dog or dogs are set after it. The dogs are not muzzled and the purpose is to kill the hare.

Usually taking place in the daytime, Dr Lynch, who has been working in this are since 2007, disclosed that the people who partake in this crime see it as a competition. 

“Dogs that kill more hares, the owner gets more kudos. That dog is more valuable. There would be gambling involved in this activity as well too. They'd be betting on which dog will kill the most hares and if they rise a hare and kill the hare, they usually say, ‘one up, one down’ and that gives credence to that dog,” she said. 

The illegal lurching of hares has always been a quick and decisive crime. Unfortunately, this has now ramped up due to the rise in popularity (and availability) of thermal imagers. Such devices, which retail for about €3,000, locate exactly where an animal is sitting in a field, making it quicker than ever for a lurcher to pounce. 

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Historically, individuals involved in this activity would have walked across fields searching for hares. However, with thermal imagers now on the market, this allows people to search from gates or gaps without trespassing on lands until they identify and locate a hare.

Those involved can then get very close to the animal before releasing the dog. This takes away the advantage from the hare, which uses the element of surprise to put distance between it and the dog.

According to the NPWS, since the introduction of these devices, hares have a “very little chance” of getting away as the thermal imagers are “very effective.” 

“It's not illegal to have one. They are used legitimately when it comes to monitoring wildlife and for surveying wildlife and all of those other great advantages for having this kind of technology at our disposal but in the wrong hands for the wrong reasons, they're absolutely devastating and have a devastating outcome for the animals involved,” said Dr Lynch.

Thermal imaging devices are now widely available

Unsurprisingly, a huge amount of planning and organisation goes into this wildlife crime. Oftentimes, individuals are travelling considerable distances to carry out this activity. It is not unusual for people from one county to hunt in another. 

According to Dr Lynch, some of those who partake in illegal lurching could be considered poly criminals, meaning they may well have a history of being involved in other areas of criminality such as theft, burglary, drugs, violence and domestic violence.

Citing statistics gathered by the National Wildlife Crime Unit in the UK, where illegal lurching is also an issue, those who conduct this crime tend to have prior offences across many categories.

The illegal hunting of hares using lurchers is a widespread issue and usually occurs from September until the end of March. This is most popular time for the activity to take place.

The NPWS receive reports regarding the crime throughout the year from many counties, including Cork, Limerick, Kerry, Clare, Galway, Offaly, Tipperary, Kildare, Louth, Wexford, Carlow, Waterford and Donegal. 

Pictured is the Regional Manager of National Parks and Wildlife Service for Limerick/North Tipperary, Dr Áine Lynch

In many cases, repeat offenders are identified as well as the next generation. For example, in certain instances, the NPWS has encountered sons or grandsons of individuals who were on their radar years ago.

In order to tackle this wildlife crime, the NPWS regularly conducts multiagency checkpoints and successful joint operations with An Garda Síochána and other bodies, such as the ISPCA, across the country.

There is a joint protocol between An Garda Síochána, who are “very proactive” in dealing with illegal lurching and the National Parks and Wildlife Service.

The organisation also liaises with local coursing clubs, hunting groups and gun clubs in a bid to tackle this ongoing issue. NPWS staff attend public meetings across the country and they also carry out regular patrols to detect, disrupt and deter this wildlife crime.

As more and more landowners are now alert to the issue, an increasing number of prosecutions are coming before the courts arising from complaints.

“It's not just a wildlife crime, it's a crime. It may lead to other crimes. People feel violated by people entering onto their lands who they don't know and oftentimes, if they challenge these individuals, they'll be met with verbal aggression and, in some cases, physical aggression. We've all read about those very unfortunate cases where farmers have been attacked by these individuals when they've asked them to leave their land or told them that they can't do what they're doing,” Dr Lynch commented.

In recent months, several courts have heard how gardai identified offenders who had travelled from outside of their home counties to engage in illegal hunting - often in large groups.

The garda advice to landowners, who are often elderly and vulnerable, is to contact them as soon as they are alerted to intruders on their lands and to never confront those involved.

Those on the ground who are tasked with enforcing the legislation would like to see “tougher penalties apply, tougher sanctions apply.”

Currently, those charged with illegal lurching in Irish Courts typically receive a Class A fine, however, there are certain offences under the Wildlife Act that do carry a custodial sentence. If you are convicted of offences under this Act, they are criminal convictions that do stay on your record. 

In one recent prosecution in County Limerick a judge banned a young man from entering the village where the offence occurred while in another case, it was noted that disqualifications can be imposed on those who allow their vehicles to be used by anybody engaging in criminal behaviour, including trespassing on lands.

The Wildlife Act is currently undergoing a review, which, in addition to hopefully strengthening the protections already in place for wildlife, will also seek to review and strengthen the penalties for those who engage in wildlife crime.

Those who have interests or concerns about Ireland’s natural heritage are encouraged to give their opinion on the review of the legislation here.

A large crowd attended a public meeting in Tipperary earlier this year

Other species are also hunted illegally using dogs. When deer are illegally hunted, a slightly larger lurcher-type dog may be used. As well as thermal imagers, individuals tend to use lamps to dazzle and confuse the animal before the attack takes place.

The dog will often go for the throat of the deer and hang out of it, making it a very slow and painful death, with Dr Lynch saying: “Licensed deer hunting in Ireland is where people use a rifle and its quick and its humane, whereas this is just disgusting.”

Badger digging and baiting is another widespread issue that the NPWS deals with on a regular basis. Typically in this practice, individuals use a mixture of Terriers and lurcher-type bullhound dogs. They send a terrier underground and use the dog below to locate where the badgers are. They then dig with shovels and use the dog to pull the badger out. In some instances, they'll set the bigger dog on that badger right there and in other instances, they may take the badger away and use it for baiting at a premises with other dogs. “Essentially, it's dogfighting,” said Dr Lynch. 

Illegal lurching can cause local extinctions, particularly of hares, since the use of thermal imagers has become so widespread. While there are other reasons that contribute to the loss of this species, “if the number of hares in a locality have been reduced by these other elements, it's very easy then when these guys (hunters) come in to just wipe out what's left.” 

Illegal lurching of hares is unfortunately a criminal activity that has “always been there” much like the illegal hunting of badgers and deer.

“Its an activity that causes a lot of hurt and distress to landowners because it's a violation of their space, the act itself is also very cruel. It is a crime because the Irish hare is protected by law and its illegal to hunt it in this manner,” Dr Lynch stated. It is also illegal to enter onto land for the purpose of hunting any wildlife, including rabbits and foxes, unless you have the permission of the landowner.

If you see or suspect illegal lurching or any wildlife crime taking place, please report it. All reports are welcome, taken seriously and treated in confidence. 

Reports would ideally include the location, type of activity, numbers of individuals involved and the registrations of any vehicles associated with the activity. Such information should only be gathered if safe to do so. 

Wildlife crimes can be reported to the National Parks and Wildlife Service via your local Conservation Ranger, to WildlifeEnforcement@npws.gov.ie or to An Garda Síochána via the 999 emergency number.