Ban Harecoursing in Ireland - Protest at Coursing Finals, Clonmel

Protesting hare coursing at Powerstown Park, Clonmel, Co Tipperary.

Log onto www.ARAN.ie to get active for animals in Ireland.

What is wrong with hare coursing? Hare coursing is inherently cruel from beginning to end. Hares are snatched from the wild, kept captive in coursing compounds and then forced to run for their lives. Although the greyhounds are muzzled, hares continue to be struck, tossed into the air and mauled into the ground, which can result in severe injury and death. Not a coursing season goes by without such incidents taking place, as confirmed by Department of Environment reports obtained under FOI. In just the first three weeks of the 2009 season, Minister for the Environment John Gormley admitted that 22 hares had died. All of this horrendous cruelty takes place, compliments of a license granted to the Irish Coursing Club by Minister for the Environment, John Gormley, which allows for the snatching of approximately 7,500 hares from the wild in nets for use as live lures for the greyhounds. Last May Minister Gormley himself issued a report on the Status of EU protected habitats and species in Ireland, in which rated the conservation status of the Irish hare as poor, with citing loss of habitat, increased urbanization, and hunting as the causes. Minister Gormley subsequently granted coursers an extension of their cruelty season into March. Meanwhile, in Northern Ireland, recognizing that the hare population is under threat, Minister for Environment, Sammy Wilson, renewed the now five year hunting suspension in that jurisdiction, resulting in two northern coursing clubs travelling south to be hosted by coursing clubs here, putting even more pressure on our beleaguered hare population. In fact, evidence of a shortage of hares has emerged with one coursing club in Co. Offaly admitting last year (source: FOI) that they found it difficult to capture hares for coursing, stating that more man hours were spent looking for hares, and yet the number caught were low.

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• ARAN
• Animal Rights
• Animals
• Clonmel
• Harecoursing
• ICABS
• Bloodsports
• Cruelty

[shevaunh]

it is so inspiring to see so many people who are fighting to end these cruel bloodsports in ireland, well done guys