Minister Gormley shown photos of deer being dragged out of river 07 May 2009 A disturbing photograph showing a deer being dragged out of a river at the end of a Ward Union hunt has been forwarded to Minister John Gormley as part of a renewed appeal for the hunt to be stopped. The unfortunate deer was pursued for over two hours during a hunt licensed by the Green Party minister. The photos, obtained by the Irish Council Against Blood Sports under the Freedom of Information Act, show hunters dragging the animal through the waters of the Broadmeadow River in County Meath. The hunt in question took place on 28th November last. According to an accompanying report, the four-year-old stag was chased into a drain 1 hour and 20 minutes after the start of the hunt. The animal was subsequently observed running alongside the river. "At 14.20 the stag was in the river near Fieldstown Bridge," the National Parks and Wildlife Service ranger stated in a monitoring report. "After some running up and down the river and out of, and back into, the river, the stag then took some cover in bushes on the river bank." The deer handlers then "approached the stag and recaptured it", bringing it up a steep bank from the river and back into the hunt's trailer. ICABS has brought these sickening photographs to the attention of Minister John Gormley and renewed our plea to him to stop licensing the Ward Union. Last month, ICABS reported on a separate incident involving another hunted deer that was dragged from a river - see Deer hunted for two and a half hours and captured in river The captive-bred, domesticated deer at the start of the hunt after being released from the Ward Union's trailer. After being hunted for over two hours, the deer is captured and dragged from a river. Close-up: Hunters grip the deer's head and body and drag it from the river. Please join our appeal to Minister John Gormley to stop licensing this cruel hunt. URGENT ACTION ALERT - SAMPLE LETTER (If you have time, please compose your own personal letter. Otherwise, send the short sample letter below. Be assertive, but polite, in all correspondence. Thank you.) Minister John Gormley Department of the Environment Custom House, Dublin 1. Email: minister@environ.ie Tel: 01 888 2403. Fax: 01 878 8640. Dear Minister Gormley: I am writing to express my great concern about another incident involving a deer being chased into a river during a Ward Union Hunt. According to official NPWS reports, the animal was pursued for over two hours before going into a drain and then into the Broadmeadow River. A photo taken at the scene shows hunters dragging the animal through the water. Chasing an animal with a pack of hounds and subjecting it to this abuse is totally unacceptable. I implore you to stop licensing the Ward Union and to do whatever it takes to ensure that they never again get a licence for this cruelty. Thank you. I look forward to your prompt reply. Yours sincerely, [*** Your Name and Location ***] The cruelty of carted deer hunting A selection of images showing the cruelty of carted deer hunting. To enlarge an image, simply click on it. Videos: Carted deer hunting cruelty Slideshow - Ward Union Duration: 04:06 Carted deer hunting Duration: 04:51 Video: Urge the Green party to ban blood sports Send video link to a friend More information about carted deer hunting Carted deer hunting: Leaflet | Photos | Videos | Petition Make a donation to ICABS Please consider making a small donation to ICABS. For more details, please click on the button below or follow this link to find out how to become a campaign supporter. Thank you. News Menu | Join | Top | Home