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Documents obtained by the Irish Council Against Blood Sports under the Freedom of Information Act show that 3,325 hares were netted from the wild for use as live lures for dogs in cruel coursing last season. The terrorisation and abuse of this supposedly protected species took place thanks to a licence shamefully issued by Heritage Minister Darragh O'Brien.
The sickening documents reveal that during the 2023-24 coursing season, hares were forced to run for their lives in 6,235 courses. At least 16 of them didn't come out alive.
124 hares were caught by greyhounds and pinned to the ground during coursing activities. There are no figures available for the number of hares who were hit (but not pinned).
17 hares suffered injuries.
7 injured hares were “put to sleep”.
7 other hares also died.
2 hares died of so-called “natural causes”.
The figures were supplied by coursing clubs and therefore their accuracy is unverified.
As well as the threat of being injured and killed on coursing fields, captured hares who survive the coursing ordeal are also at risk of later dying from stress-related capture myopathy after being released back to the wild.
Meanwhile, a National Parks and Wildlife Service-commissioned study revealed that out of 20 coursed hares monitored, just one was confirmed to be still alive at the end. Two hares were found dead (road traffic collision and as a result of predation or scavenging) and it is unknown if the 17 other hares were alive or dead - three were never relocated following release, seven were located but subsequently disappeared and another seven were also not to be found despite searches on the ground and from the air.
Shame on the Irish Government for allowing this obscene bloodsport to continue. The threatened and declining Irish Hare species must be fully protected from those who find fun in terrorising wildlife.
Download the documents at
https://banbloodsports.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/coursing-records-foi-0347-2024.pdf
ACTION ALERT
HELP THE HARES: Tell Heritage Minister Darragh O’Brien and Minister of State for Nature Malcolm Noonan to give full protection to the Irish Hare and stop licensing cruel coursing.
Minister Darragh O’Brien (Fianna Fail, Dublin Fingal)
Tel: (01) 618 3802 OR (086) 251 9893
Email: darragh.obrien@oireachtas.ie; minister@housing.gov.ie
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DarraghOBrienTD
X: http://twitter.com/DarraghOBrienTD
Malcolm Noonan TD (Green Party, Carlow Kilkenny)
Minister of State for Nature
Tel: (01) 618 3148 OR (01) 618 3156
Email: mos@housing.gov.ie; malcolm.noonan@oireachtas.ie
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MinisterMalcolmNoonan/
X: https://twitter.com/noonan_malcolm
It is time for politicians to consign coursing and hunting 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 https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/members/tds/?term=/ie/oireachtas/house/dail/33
Witness the cruelty of hare coursing in Ireland
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRUi_z_29tI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVIKc2CS4ko
Please support our campaign with a donation
https://www.paypal.me/banbloodsports