The Irish Council Against Blood Sports has called for the banning of staghunting following an incident in Co Meath over the weekend. The council received a complaint from a woman who said she witnessed a stag being terrorised in a local hunt.
Ms Oona Mahony said she saw the stag, pursued by up to 30 hounds, followed by mounted riders running down a hill. "It was forced to jump into the swollen River Nanny where it struggled to get across. The dogs followed it into the river. It managed to crawl out the other side, jump a wall, and cross the busy road to get into a field on the other side but the dogs were still following it. It was horrific."
The Ward Union which carried out the hunt denied that any suffering was caused to the animal.