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Thu 9th September
Councillor Boyle said: “This is a very serious, ongoing issue and this activity has been ongoing since 2007. It also appears to have taken place in around the Kircubbin and Narrows area of Strangford Lough and to a lesser extent Minerstown and Dundrum Bay. Important questions need to be asked as to who was aware of this activity taking place during the past number of years and why these revelations are only being made public some three years from having been first detected.
“There are a lot of agencies involved with the managing and controlling of natural life and activity within Strangford Lough not least representation from both Ards Borough Council and Down District Council. We now also know that post-mortems that have lasted up to one year still appear to be inconclusive as to the exact nature of how these seals were actually killed and subsequently mutilated.
“What is extremely concerning is the fact that the public at large are now only being made aware of this horrific activity taking place and are now being asked to be on alert for anything that may appear to be suspicious and to report to the authorities including the local PSNI. I am very disappointed with the approach that has been adopted in addressing such a serious issue but equally very concerned with a process that has clearly been in avoidance of revealing such information towards the general public.
“It is totally unacceptable to keep this known activity from the glare of the public for such a period of time only to reveal some years later the extent and scale of the activity that is actually taking place. This has clearly been an ongoing concerted programme of a continuous killing of these seals, not isolated incidents. A total of 16 dead seals, mainly grey seal pups and juveniles, were recovered from Strangford Lough between June and November last year. Of those, 12 had suffered unnatural deaths. Post-mortems from 2008 and 2009 found evidence of drowning, fractured jaws and extensive knife cuts around the neck made following the deaths. Several had their heads cut off and there was trauma consistent with gunshot wounds or blows from a sharp object.
“I don't therefore accept that the investigative procedure in place for addressing this issue has been anywhere near adequate for the seriousness of such an issue.”
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