Pregnant hare who died at Gorey coursing suffered abdominal haemorrhage

One of 4 hares who died at a coursing meeting in Gorey, County Wexford was pregnant and had suffered abdominal bruising and haemorrhage, a newly released post-mortem report has revealed.

The Department of Agriculture Veterinary Lab report, obtained by Paul Murphy TD further to a Dail Question to Heritage Minister James Browne (who shamefully licences coursing), acknowledged that the dead hare was "found at coursing event" and went on to state:

• "There was excoriation and bruising of the skin on the right side of the abdomen and on the dorsal aspect of the lumbar spine,
• There was haemorrhage in the subcutaneous tissues associated with these areas and
• There was internal abdominal haemorrhage."

"The uterus was gravid," the report added, confirming the hare was pregnant.

The hare was one of 36 captured from the wild in the weeks before the coursing meeting.

Documents published on the website of the National Parks and Wildlife Service – which disgracefully licenses the bloodsport on behalf of Heritage Minister James Browne - show that during the 2-day coursing meet, held at Camolin, Gorey on 23 and 24 October 2025, 2 hares died from injuries, 1 hare died from so-called “natural causes” and another hare was found dead in an enclosure. A total of 5 hares were hit by the dogs and 2 were pinned to the ground.

A NPWS conservation ranger, who was present to monitor the terrorisation of the hares, reported that on Day 1 of the animal cruelty event, 2 hares were hit and another was pinned. The ranger noted that 1 of these hares “died from injuries”. In stark contrast, a coursing club report shows that zero hares died from injuries that day and two hares died from what they claimed were "natural causes".

One of these two hares was submitted to the veterinary lab for post-mortem inspection later the same day (23 October 2025).

The following morning at the coursing field, another hare was found dead in the “hare park”. 

The ranger noted that on Day 2, three more hares suffered hits and one hare was pinned. Two hares were confirmed injured and one died from injuries.  A hare also died from so-called “natural causes”.

The coursing club’s report shows that the hare who was pinned on Day 2, “escaped into paddock but died”.

The coursers’ vet stated in a note that there was a “visual examination” of the 32 surviving hares and that “no abnormal findings were found on 31 out of 32 hares”. 

“One hare was found to have a lesion, approx. 3cm in diameter, on his back,” the vet wrote. “The hair was gone in the area and there was a surface level graze but the skin was intact. This animal also had a cloudy left eye but otherwise seemed normal. This animal was treated with topical antibiotics before release.”

The vet - whose name has been redacted - answered yes to the question “did you certify hares fit to course?” - and noted the deaths of 4 hares.

Shame on the vet who certified the hares "fit to course". And shame on the Irish Government for allowing cruel hare coursing to continue despite majority support for a ban.

The post-mortem report stated that "testing for rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus to follow" but no details of whether the hare tested positive or negative were supplied.

Thanks to licences granted by Minister James Browne, coursing clubs are again rounding up thousands of hares around Ireland for another season of coursing cruelty. All the hares will suffer fear and stress and some will be hit, mauled and sustain injuries and die. A ban on this bloodsport is long overdue.

ACTION ALERT

Contact Ministers James Browne and Christopher O'Sullivan and appeal to them to show compassion for the persecuted Irish Hare and withdraw the 2026-27 hare coursing licences.

Minister James Browne (Fianna Fail, Wexford)
Tel: (01) 618 3094
Email: minister@housing.gov.ie
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/james.browne.enniscorthy
X: https://x.com/jamesbrownetd
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamesbrownetd/?hl=en

Christopher O’Sullivan TD (Fianna Fail, Cork South West)
Minister of State for Nature, Heritage and Biodiversity
Tel: (01) 618 3095 or 023 88 11011
Email: christopher.osullivan@oireachtas.ie
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christopher.osullivan.716
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christopher_o_sullivan_td
X: https://twitter.com/COSullivanTD

SAMPLE LETTER
(If you have time, please compose your own personal letter. Otherwise, feel free to send the sample letter below)

Dear Ministers Browne and O’Sullivan,

I am writing to ask you to please WITHDRAW the licences you granted for another season of cruel hare coursing.

The licences allow coursers to net thousands of hares from the wild, transport them in boxes to coursing compounds, manhandle them, hold them in captivity for weeks/months and eventually force them to run for their lives in front of greyhounds.

All the hares suffer fear and stress and, despite the muzzling of the dogs, hares are injured and killed every coursing season when they are caught and mauled. Among the injuries documented are, broken back, spinal injury, detached/broken legs, damaged toes and dislocated hips.

Hares suffer at all stages – during capture, while held captive and at the coursing meetings where they can be seen desperately running as a merciless mob cheer the greyhounds on and gamble on which dog will be first to force the hare to change direction. Coursing compromises the welfare of hares and those who survive the ordeal remain at risk of dying from stress-related capture myopathy in the days and weeks after they are released back to the wild.

With the suffering, stress, injury and death caused to hares at coursing meetings, there should be no hesitation in finally ending this shameful activity. This would be widely welcomed by the 77% majority of Irish citizens who want coursing banned (just 9% disagree with a ban. Source: RED C poll).

Ireland is in the middle of a biodiversity crisis and it’s time for the iconic Irish Hare to be given full protection and allowed to live free from persecution. Please withdraw the licences as a step towards a long overdue ban on coursing.

Thank you.

Yours sincerely,

[Name/Address]

Please get in touch with all your local TDs and urge them to pledge support for a long overdue ban on cruel hare coursing in Ireland. Visit the Oireachtas website for contact details https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/members/tds/?term=/ie/oireachtas/house/dail/34

Contact the leaders of Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and Sinn Fein. Tell them that you want hare coursing, fox hunting and all bloodsports banned.

Micheál Martin TD
Leader, Fianna Fail
Email: micheal.martin@oireachtas.ie; info@fiannafail.ie
Tel: 01 619 4000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michealmartintd/
X: http://www.twitter.com/@MichealMartinTD

Simon Harris TD
Leader, Fine Gael
Telephone: 01 281 3727
Email: simon.harris@oireachtas.ie; finegael@finegael.ie
X: http://www.twitter.com/SimonHarrisTD
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DeputySimonHarris

Mary Lou McDonald TD
Leader, Sinn Fein
Tel: (01) 727 7102
Email: marylou.mcdonald@oireachtas.ie
X: https://twitter.com/MaryLouMcDonald
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/MaryLouMcDonaldTD

Watch our campaign videos

The suffering of hares during 2025-26 coursing season 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jN3OMM7_UY

Bill to ban hare coursing shamefully rejected - 24 in favour, 125 against 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMSh_T5l6i0