A 25 year-old man from Cardiff was arrested on Tuesday (16/9) on suspicion of hunting act offences.
The call came in to police on the emergency 999 line at approximately 4.47pm and officers were immediately dispatched to an estate on the Wantage Road A338 area of Eddington, Hungerford.
Once on scene the man was arrested and three dogs were seized. The man has been released on bail until the 16 October.
Hare coursing and poaching tends to happen after the harvest season, usually at dawn or dusk but can occur during daylight hours and continue up until Christmas time.
People who poach and hare course do not consider the land they trespass on. Their vehicles can ruin land and crops and often fences, gates and property will get damaged in the process.
What to look out for:
· Groups of vehicles parked up in a rural area, perhaps to a gateway to farmland, bridle paths, farm tracks or grass verges.
· There will usually be estate cars, 4x4s or vans. They may have evidence of dogs inside like muddy paw prints or dog hairs.
· Hare coursers often travel in convoy with transit vans at the front and rear and the cars in between
· Lights or torches at night in wooded areas or across fields could be a sign of someone illegally hunting
If you see hare coursers or poachers or suspect this might be happening in your area:
· Call 999 if hare coursing/ poaching is in progress or 101 to report activity that is not happening there and then
· Keep a safe distance and do not confront the suspects, particularly if they are carrying firearms
· Try to remember descriptive details such as what the suspects looked like, height, age, skin colour, hair colour, what they are wearing and the direction they are heading in. Registration numbers of vehicles and how many/ types of dogs are also helpful when officers are trying to locate the offenders.
Wildlife officer, PC Dean Kingham talks more about hare coursing on our podcast.
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