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Warning: The bottom of this article contains gruesome images of a dead deer that some readers may find upsetting.
GARDAÍ ARE INVESTIGATING after two deer were shot and one was decapitated on lands in Co Meath.
The gruesome discovery was made on protected lands near Slane according to An Garda Síochána’s Meath Crime Prevention Facebook page.
Gardai say that poachers are to blame for the shootings with a small, light-coloured van seen acting suspiciously in the area at the time.
Graphic images of the scene show the ground stained with blood and the deer suffering horrific injuries.
Gardai say that a second red deer was found alive but had to be put down.
The incident is not an isolated one with a spate of poaching in the Dunsay area having being recently reported.
“If you know the suspects involved in deer poaching let us know who they are,” local gardaí have said.
“If you have spotted gunmen shooting from their vans or jeeps along the road or using a lamp at night-time to shot deer, this is illegal please contact Slane Garda Station on 041-9824202.”
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And someone thought to do this for fun? How are these people’s brains wired?!
As nasty as it looks, I don’t think this a case of just mindless cruelty. It looks like it was just poachers who shot and failed to kill one deer and then shot and partially gutted another. They must have been disturbed at some point and just left the deer there.
I’m not really against hunting if the animal is dispatched quickly and humanely. Deer numbers have to be kept under control in some areas or else they would be overrun with them. The worst thing a hunter can do is shoot and injure an animal and let it run off to die slowly.
Looks like somebody wanted a head trophy.I am sure the farmer was delighted to have the dear eat his crop in fairness they should of taken the carcass away also.or maybe the dear had disease so they left it there who knows.
oh deer oh deer bobby
@Tweety
Disturbed at some point and ran away with the head??
What crop is there available to eat in January?
Maybe they gutted it and took off its head in a different location and were disturbed when they were moving the carcass to their car.
I’m not a hunter but it surely makes sense to gut and remove the head of a big deer before trying to get it back to your car. They look pretty heavy as it is.
The talk of satanic rituals on here is a tad dramatic
No they are just s€um !
I hope the Gardai catch these low lifes
@Do the Bort man: thats winter corn growing bort
@The Girl: there’s nothing like a good venison steak.
As nasty as you erite, I don’t think you should be euthanasised because that IS mindless cruelty. But if poachers accidentally eff up while chasing you with a mahooosive lamp trained on your clearly running away back and gut you plus or minus your head, none of us will worry. Sure if you are disturbed thats what you are!!!
Bobby, who or what farmer grows crops this time of year
One thing if they took the deer for food. I could understand that. But shooting it at night with a lamp, and then taking its head? That’s just rotten, and pretty f**ked up.
@John McGuirk: Some people shoot anything with a gun…
Why would anyone do this to a defenceless animal. I pray they are caught.
Because they are prey. It’s the way of the world.
Prey is for eating. For fun is just cruelty.
Gerry do you eat meat, if so your comment is a bit hypocritical..
Other animals would view you as prey. Is that still the way of the world?
Yes, of course it is.
So the people who disagreed with my comment obviously think it’s not ok to cut the head off a deer but think it’s ok to put a bullet in the head of a cow before slitting it’s throat just because a slab of meat ends up on your plate..
Cosmo what has eating meat got to do with it? As a vegetarian I can’t see the hypocracy? Just because people eat meat doesn’t mean they don’t want the animal to be treated ethically while it’s alive and then slaughtered in a humane manner. Whoever did this had little concern for the animals welfare if they left one animal injured and dying.
Really cosmo? So it’s ok to behead an animal in a barbaric way.And because I eat meat I’m a hypocrite! Where is your logic in that stupid question?
So putting a bullet in a cows head isn’t barbaric? Do you not think the cow knows it’s going to die? The poor animal has to be dragged into the slaughter room to be killed because it can see and smell death all around it.. All killing of animals is barbaric.. My question isn’t stupid, it’s you that is stupid if you can’t see there is no difference…
You are totally right Cosmo. There is no difference whatsoever. In fact the deer shot dead probably had a ‘better’ ending if there is such a thing. Wild Deer are becoming a pest on farm and forestry land by the way and cause thousands of euros worth of damage every year. A nationwide cull is needed.
Cosmo, resorting to childish namecalling renders your entire argument invalid. Your highly emotive depiction of the slaughter process is totally inaccurate. In fact it’s not in the interest of slaughter houses to have the animals in a state of stress as it taints the flavour of the meat and devalues it. It’s not the case in our society but many cultures rely almost entirely on animal meat for food, clothing etc. Nothing barbaric about that. As I said I have no problem with people eating meat as long as the animal is raised and killed humanely, which wasn’t the case in the incident in the article. They appear to be trophy hunters and pretty bad shots to add insult to injury.
@Sorcha Ní Shúilleabháin: I take it you have never been inside an animal slaughter house. I worked for a few years in a meat factory that killed up to 800 head of beef per day. It is actually disturbing to see the queue of animals in the chute going to the knocking box where they are so called “humanely” killed. The animals are trembling, pi$$ing and $hiting themselves as they go. Even though everything is covered in so that they cannot see ahead as they get closer to the knocking box, they bawl as if they were crying. I’m 100% convinced they can smell death, know they are going to die and are absolutely terrified. The factory in question would be considered world class and exports all over the world as well as domestically. I’m not being anti or pro here. Just calling it as I’ve seen. I enjoy a good steak just as much as anyone.
Men with little willies no doubt
More like a case of animal cruelty than poaching, as just the head was taken. Whatever about killing animals for food, but for sport or hocus pocus reasons are just wrong
The same thing happened where I live about ten years ago. A deer shot and decapitated. The heads are being taken a trophies. There are some low lifes out there unfortunately that would take pride in doing that.
Just keep an eye on the few operating taxidermists and you’ll soon catch the fool when he tries to have it preserved.
Absolute $cum! Would love to do the same to them!
Need Crocodile Dundee dressed up as a deer to take a few shots back at them.
Sounds like the work of Satanist’s.
No Leftie snowflake comment?
Quit whining snowflake
Awwww you do care.
I blame irish water.
@Colm Ó Liatháin: That comment has back fired on you?
@Colm There just a handful of you on the Journal and nomatter what the heading of a story is IW or the Bankers are to blame it’s a sad way to be .
@Alois Irlmaier: it wouldn’t be the first time anything went above someones head here.
@Alan Scott: indeed. Spell satire.
@Colm Ó Liatháin: You are mixing up satire and shatire
@joe o hare: irish water done it
I am a hunter. Lamping is illegal in every other European country exept Ireland. Rightly so. The excuse is fox hunting and some people really do that. Fair enough. But many others use it to disguise deer poaching activity. Very successfully. If it was outlawed you could spot perpetrators for miles with their lamps. …
Some kind of braindead sadists trying out their new toy. The worst I ever saw was in Sligo where some brats had got hold of a Katana and cut a random sheep in half while it was still alive. I know what should be done with these people.
What a waste of good meat. BBQ venison, dont knock it till you try it
They wanted the head to mount on wall. Sick baxtards
Oh deer!!
Frkkin hillbillies
Deer god
Please please someone tell me the poor deer didn’t suffer as badly as it’s made out and that the Journal are exaggerating. They must have been utterly terrified.It just breaks my heart so much. I had to quickly scroll past the photos :’(
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