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A vet in attendance at a coursing meeting in Loughrea, Co. Galway on 15 October 2021, told a National Parks & Wildlife Service Ranger, who was there to monitor the event, that he would check four injured hares in a box AFTER his own greyhound had competed! The creatures were left in the box for "approximately 50 minutes to one hour" without veterinary attention.
According to a NPWS monitoring report, obtained by the Irish Council Against Blood Sports this month under Freedom of Information, a ranger noted four hares in the box, two of which were dead. He noted that the hare steward partially pulled a "SCREAMING" hare from the box. The vet had a syringe in his hand, and the ranger asked what he was doing. The vet said he was going to put the hare to sleep, saying it was in shock and would not recover, and he went on to put down the hare.
The ranger reported that earlier in the day, at the commencement of coursing, the first hare released to be chased by greyhounds was caught and "VIOLENTLY PINNED" by the two dogs. When it was retrieved by the coursers, the ranger stated that the hare "appeared to be dead. Its legs were hanging down and motionless". This hare was put in a box on the sideline. The second hare to be coursed, according to the ranger, was "also pinned by the dogs" and it too was taken and put in the box. The third hare to be coursed was also mauled by the dogs and put in a box. The fourth hare escaped, and the fifth hare was mauled and put in the box as well. In all, according to the ranger's report, six hares were "pinned", two of them died outright and one was put down. A further nine hares were run up the coursing field without being coursed by the dogs, presumably because they were considered weak and at risk of being killed or injured. It was decided to call off this meeting after the first day, presumably because of the high number of hares mauled by the greyhounds.
According to condition 8 of the licence to trap hares from the wild, granted by Minister for Housing, Darragh O'Brien, the coursers must have a qualified vet in attendance "during all of their coursing and trial meetings, and remain on site for the full duration". Furthermore, if the vet is "involved in active coursing at the event, they must ensure that they are available at all times when needed to carry out their duties in relation to the health and wellbeing of the hares".
Clearly, this was not the case at Loughrea on 15 October 2021, with the vet telling the ranger that he would attend to the hares after his own dog had competed. In fact, there were two vets present at Loughrea on the day, one of which left for Belfast, while the other returned to his private practice. It would be at least half an hour before he returned, the ranger was informed, when he asked officials, after the coursing finished, when the vet would examine two hares who had been pinned.
The hare coursers have already applied to Minister Darragh O'Brien for another licence to cruelly capture timid hares from the wild for use as live bait for greyhounds. There are growing calls on him to refuse the licence.
Hare coursing is outlawed in Northern Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales and a whopping 77% of Irish citizens want a ban on this barbarism, as revealed in a 2019 RED C poll. However, our government continues to turn a blind eye to the suffering and cruelty in appeasing a tiny minority and a handful of TDs who represent their interests.
A Private Member's Bill to outlaw hare coursing has been introduced by Paul Murphy TD (People Before Profit-Solidarity) and it is expected back before the Dail later this year. This will be an opportunity for our legislators to let democracy work and finally rid our country of this shameful barbarism.
URGENT ACTION ALERT
HELP THE HARES: Urgently contact Heritage Minister Darragh O’Brien and Minister of State Malcolm Noonan and tell them to stop licensing hare coursing.
Email "Please refuse 2022-23 licences for cruel hare coursing" to minister@housing.gov.ie; mos@housing.gov.ie
Minister Darragh O’Brien (Fianna Fail, Dublin Fingal)
Tel: (01) 618 3802 OR (086) 251 9893
Email: minister@housing.gov.ie; darragh.obrien@oireachtas.ie
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DarraghOBrienTD
Twitter: http://twitter.com/DarraghOBrienTD
Malcolm Noonan TD (Carlow Kilkenny)
Minister of State for Heritage
Tel: (01) 618 3148 OR (01) 618 3156
Email: mos@housing.gov.ie; malcolm.noonan@oireachtas.ie
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/votemalcolmnoonan1/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/noonan_malcolm
With a RED C opinion poll confirming that a 77 per cent majority of citizens want hare coursing banned (with just 9% disagreeing with a ban), it is now time for politicians to consign this nasty bloodsport to history. Join us in contacting all TDs and urging them to act to ensure that a ban is urgently introduced. Visit the Oireachtas website for contact details for TDs https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/members/tds/?term=/ie/oireachtas/house/dail/33
Urge Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Tanaiste Leo Varadkar to respect the wishes of the majority and ban hare coursing and all bloodsports.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin
Email: micheal.martin@oireachtas.ie; info@fiannafail.ie
Phone: +353 (0)1–618 4350 or +353 (0)21-432 0088
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michealmartintd/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/@MichealMartinTD
Tanaiste Leo Varadkar
Telephone: +353 (0)1-640 3133
Email: leo.varadkar@oireachtas.ie; finegael@finegael.ie
Tweet to: http://www.twitter.com/@LeoVaradkar
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LeoVaradkar
Contact Fianna Fail, Fine Gael, Green Party, Sinn Fein and Labour Party TDs and urge them to pledge support for Paul Murphy TD's upcoming Animal Health & Welfare (Ban on Hare Coursing) Bill 2020.
Fianna Fáil TDs
john.mcguinness@oireachtas.ie; niamh.smyth@oireachtas.ie; brendan.smith@oireachtas.ie; aindrias.moynihan@oireachtas.ie; michael.moynihan.td@oireachtas.ie; micheal.martin@oireachtas.ie; michael.mcgrath@oireachtas.ie; Charlie.McConalogue@oireachtas.ie; sean.haughey@oireachtas.ie; jim.ocallaghan@oireachtas.ie; darragh.obrien@oireachtas.ie; jack@jackchambers.ie; anne.rabbitte@oireachtas.ie; eamon.ocuiv@oireachtas.ie; james.lawless@oireachtas.ie; sean.ofearghail@oireachtas.ie; sean.fleming@oireachtas.ie; barry.cowen@oireachtas.ie; willie.odea@oireachtas.ie; niall.collins@oireachtas.ie; Robert.Troy@oireachtas.ie; dara.calleary@oireachtas.ie; thomas.byrne@oireachtas.ie; marc.macsharry@oireachtas.ie; jackie.cahill@oireachtas.ie; mary.butler@oireachtas.ie; james.browne@oireachtas.ie; jennifer.murnaneoconnor@oireachtas.ie; cathal.crowe@oireachtas.ie; james.oconnor@oireachtas.ie; padraig.osullivan@oireachtas.ie; christopher.osullivan@oireachtas.ie; paul.mcauliffe@oireachtas.ie; john.lahart@oireachtas.ie; cormac@cormacdevlin.ie; normafoley1@eircom.net; joe.flaherty@oireachtas.ie; Stephen.Donnelly@oireachtas.ie
Fine Gael TDs
JohnPaul.Phelan@oireachtas.ie; Heather.Humphreys@oireachtas.ie; joe.carey@oireachtas.ie; david.stanton@oir.ie; colm.burke@oireachtas.ie; michael.creed@oireachtas.ie; Simon.Coveney@oireachtas.ie; joe.mchugh@oireachtas.ie; richard.bruton@oireachtas.ie; Paschal.Donohoe@oireachtas.ie; Alan.Farrell@oireachtas.ie; emer.higgins@oireachtas.ie; neale.richmond@oireachtas.ie; josepha.madigan@oireachtas.ie; colm.brophy@oireachtas.ie; leo.varadkar@oireachtas.ie; jennifer.carrollmacneill@oireachtas.ie; Ciaran.Cannon@oireachtas.ie; hildegarde.naughton@oireachtas.ie; Brendan.Griffin@oireachtas.ie; bernard.durkan@oireachtas.ie; Martin.Heydon@oireachtas.ie; charles.flanagan@oireachtas.ie; kieran.odonnell@oireachtas.ie; Patrick.O’Donovan@oireachtas.ie; peter.burke@oireachtas.ie; fergus.odowd@oireachtas.ie; alan.dillon@oireachtas.ie; michael.ring@oireachtas.ie; helen.mcentee@oireachtas.ie; damien.english@oireachtas.ie; frank.feighan@oireachtas.ie; paul.kehoe@oireachtas.ie; Simon.Harris@oireachtas.ie
Green Party TDs
Eamon.Ryan@greenparty.ie; catherine.martin@oireachtas.ie; patrick.costello@oireachtas.ie; francisnoel.duffy@oireachtas.ie; neasa.hourigan@oireachtas.ie; brian.leddin@oireachtas.ie; steven.matthews@oireachtas.ie; malcolm.noonan@oireachtas.ie; joe.obrien@oireachtas.ie; marc.ocathasaigh@oireachtas.ie; roderic.ogorman@oireachtas.ie;
ossian.smyth@oireachtas.ie
Sinn Fein TDs
john.brady@oireachtas.ie; pat.buckley@oireachtas.ie; Sean.Crowe@oireachtas.ie; david.cullinane@oireachtas.ie; Pearse.Doherty@oireachtas.ie; dessie.ellis@oir.ie; kathleen.funchion@oireachtas.ie; martinkennysf@gmail.com; MaryLou.McDonald@oireachtas.ie; denise.mitchell@oireachtas.ie; imelda.munster@oireachtas.ie; eoin.obroin@oireachtas.ie; donnchadh.olaoghaire@oireachtas.ie; aengus.osnodaigh@oireachtas.ie; louiseoreillysf@gmail.com; maurice.quinlivan@oireachtas.ie; Brian.Stanley@oireachtas.ie; mark.ward@oireachtas.ie; chris.andrews@oireachtas.ie; martin.browne@oireachtas.ie; matt.carthy@oireachtas.ie; sorca.clarke@oireachtas.ie; roseconwaywalsh@eircom.net; reada.cronin@oireachtas.ie; pa.daly@oireachtas.ie; paul.donnelly@oireachtas.ie; mairead.farrell@oireachtas.ie; thomas.gould@oireachtas.ie; johnny.guirke@oireachtas.ie; claire.kerrane@oireachtas.ie; padraig.maclochlainn@oir.ie; johnny.mythen@oireachtas.ie; ruairi.omurchu@oireachtas.ie; darren.orourke@oireachtas.ie; patriciaryan975@gmail.com; pauline.tully@oireachtas.ie
Labour Party TDs
ivana.bacik@oireachtas.ie; sean.sherlock@oireachtas.ie; aodhan.oriordain@oireachtas.ie; duncan.smith@oireachtas.ie; gerald.nash@oireachtas.ie; Alan.Kelly@oireachtas.ie; brendan.howlin@oireachtas.ie
Complain to the Veterinary Council of Ireland about veterinary involvement in hare coursing and urge the Council to come out in favour of a ban on the bloodsport.
Niamh Muldoon, CEO
Veterinary Council of Ireland
53 Lansdowne Road
Ballsbridge, Dublin 4 D04 NY29
Tel: +353 (0) 1 668 4402
Email: niamh.muldoon@vci.ie
Please sign and share the petitions
Sinn Fein: Support a ban on cruel hare coursing
https://www.change.org/p/sinn-fein-support-a-ban-on-cruel-hare-coursing
Ireland – Ban cruel hare coursing
http://www.change.org/p/ireland-ban-cruel-hare-coursing
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Witness the cruelty of hare coursing in Ireland
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Dm0mmXYcv8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVIKc2CS4ko