Two visiting English men were yesterday convicted, fined and ordered to forfeit their expensive hunting equipment at a District Court hearing in Killarney for shooting native wild red deer, a protected species in Kerry. The offence took place last Saturday.
Judge Leo Malone said people who came to Ireland on wildlife shooting trips should ascertain what they could and could not shoot.
The pair, Simon Everett (43), of Hilldene, Westhill, Uttoxeter, England, and Mr Nicholas Pancisi (44), of Stubbs Farm, Stubbs Lane, Ashbourne, England, pleaded guilty to hunting a protected species without permission under Section 23 of the Wildlife Act (1976).
Their solicitor, Mr Padraig O'Connell, said the men had acted out of ignorance.
He said they were contrite, they had stayed within the jurisdiction to face trial, their arms were legitimately held, they had European firearms passes, and they had permission from local landowners to shoot.
They carried appropriate licences except for a licence to shoot deer. In England they would not have required such a licence.
"Purely through ignorance of the law they did not get the necessary licence," said Mr O'Connell.
He opposed the State's application that the hunting rifles should be forfeited.
However, Judge Malone fined the men €800 each. He ordered the forfeiture of the rifles, a Ruger point .243 calibre and a Sako point .243 calibre, each worth £2,500, along with 13 rounds of ammunition and a hunting knife.
Judge Malone said: "It is my view that people who come here for the purposes of shooting wildlife should ascertain what they are and are not entitled to shoot.
"Red deer are a protected species in this area, and any offence regarding the shooting of red deer must be taken seriously."
Insp Michael O'Donovan said gardaí were called to the Clonkeen/and Loo Bridge near Kilgarvan shortly before lunchtime on Saturday.
They met Everett carrying the two hind quarters of a calf. Nearby, sitting on a fence, was Pancisi with two hunting rifles and near him a red deer.
"They had shot, gutted it and had shot its young and removed the hind quarters," said Insp O'Donovan. The red deer, he said, were a protected species in the area "and could not have been shot". The men co-operated fully with gardaí, and had no previous convictions. Two witnesses, deer stalkers from the Macroom area hunting Sika deer, a Japanese species introduced in the 19th century, had spotted the men shooting the red deer, and had followed and reported their whereabouts.