BREAKING NEWS: Cruel hare coursing will not be allowed to go ahead following the discovery of another hare who died from the deadly RHD virus which threatens to decimate the species.
The suspension of the hare coursing licence is to remain in place, ICABS can confirm. A Department of Culture and Heritage spokesperson informed us today that there is no plan to reissue the licence. This comes after the highly-infectious disease, which the National Parks and Wildlife Service says could be “catastrophic” for the Irish Hare was identified in six counties.
Representatives of the Irish Coursing Club met with officials of the NPWS today and were told that the licence they had been seeking to net thousands of hares for their shameful bloodsport will not be reissued, while the NPWS continues to monitor the situation.
It has been confirmed that a second hare in County Wexford died from the virus.
The first hare known to have died “ran around in circles and fell down, then got up again and ran around in circles again and fell down.” Acknowledging the dire consequences for the Irish Hare, a NPWS statement warned that the disease could prove “catastrophic” and that “the catching of hares in nets [by coursers], their transportation in boxes and the collection and holding of hares in confined areas can all be considered to increase the risk of disease spread”.
Rabbits have also died. In a report obtained by ICABS under the Freedom of Information Act, a National Parks ranger described the disturbing scene she witnessed on an island off the coast of Clare. She reported that “several healthy looking rabbits were literally dying in front of us, and quite large numbers appearing recently dead”. One of these hares was tested and found to be carrying the RHD2 virus.
Another rabbit was seen “emerging from a hedgerow in a state of distress and appeared to be having a fit/seizure.” The individual who witnessed this said that the rabbit’s breathing was “very laboured and speedy” and that it died after a minute or so.
There are fears too for shrews which are also vulnerable to the virus. In documents seen by ICABS, it was stated that there were reports of “unusual numbers of dead shrews” and “a lack of shrews where they had been before”.
In a renewed appeal to Minister Josepha Madigan today, ICABS stated: “Now that your department has identified RHD2 in the hare population and acknowledged that it could prove catastrophic for the species, there is no going back. The Irish public will not accept any return to the licensing of a bloodsport which involves netting thousands of hares from the wild, holding them in captivity (thus increasing their vulnerability to disease) and using them as live lures for dogs to chase.”
“The public expects you to not only announce a permanent end to coursing but also an end to all forms of hare hunting, including beagling, harrying and shooting,” we added. “It’s time for the Irish Hare to finally get the protection it deserves.”
URGENT ACTION ALERT
Contact Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Minister Josepha Madigan and urge them to announce a total and permanent end to all hare coursing and hare hunting in Ireland.
Email "Permanently end cruel hare coursing and hare hunting NOW" to josepha.madigan@oireachtas.ie; leo.varadkar@oireachtas.ie; finegael@finegael.ie
An Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar
Government Buildings,
Upper Merrion St, Dublin 2
Telephone: +353 (0)1-6194020
Email: taoiseach@taoiseach.gov.ie; leo.varadkar@oireachtas.ie; finegael@finegael.ie
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Josepha Madigan
Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht
Phone: +353 (0)1 631 3800
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Fine Gael
51 Upper Mount Street
Dublin 2
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