Watch our new campaign video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeU39Vf3SyU URGENT ACTION ALERT Urge Minister Heather Humphreys to show compassion for the persecuted Irish Hare and stop licensing cruel coursing. Email "Stop the cruelty. Refuse a 2015-16 hare coursing licence" to Heather.Humphreys@oireachtas.ie [Heather.Humphreys@oireachtas.ie,ministers.office@ahg.gov.ie,taoiseach@taoiseach.gov.ie,joan.burton@oireachtas.ie,wildlifelicence@ahg.gov.ie,Gerry.Leckey@ahg.gov.ie] Tel: (01) 631 3802 or (01) 631 3800 Leave a comment on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/heather.humphreysfg Tweet to Heather Humphreys: @HHumphreysFG SAMPLE LETTER (If you have time, please compose your own personal letter. Otherwise, feel free to send the short sample letter below.) Dear Minister, I am one of the majority who want hare coursing outlawed in Ireland. I am writing to urge you to reject a licence application for a 2015-16 coursing season. In coursing, hares suffer at all stages - during the capture, during the time they are kept in captivity and during the coursing meetings where they run for their lives in front of greyhounds. Among the injuries recorded are broken legs, damaged toes and dislocated hips. Every season, hare injuries and deaths occur. I ask you to please act on the wishes of the majority, show compassion and refuse to issue the licence. Thank you. Yours sincerely, [Name/Location] Appeal to the Minister for Agriculture Please appeal to the Minister for Agriculture to remove an exemption for hare coursing from the Animal Health and Welfare Act. Simon Coveney, TD Minister for Agriculture Agriculture House, Kildare Street, Dublin 2. Email: Simon.Coveney@oireachtas.ie Tel: 01-607 2884 or LoCall 1890-200510. Fax: 01-661 1013. Express your support for a ban on coursing. Sign and share petitions Stop Licensing Cruel Hare Coursing https://www.change.org/p/minister-heather-humphreys-stop-licensing-cruel-hare-coursing Save Irish hares from cruel coursing https://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/minister-simon-coveney-replace-hare-coursing-with-drag-coursing Ban horrific hare coursing cruelty in Ireland https://www.change.org/petitions/taoiseach-prime-minister-of-ireland-support-a-bill-to-ban-the-cruel-practise-of-live-hare-coursing-in-ireland Stop sponsoring hare coursing in Ireland http://www.change.org/petitions/stop-sponsoring-hare-coursing-in-ireland MORE INFORMATION The Irish Council Against Blood Sports has renewed an appeal to the Minister for Arts & Heritage, Heather Humphreys, to reject a licence application for a 2015-16 hare coursing season. A decision on whether or not to grant the licence is expected in the coming days. Minister Humphreys has been made aware of the ongoing injuries and deaths of hares in the bloodsport as well as numerous instances of licence breaches last season. Our "Coursing Cruelty Catalogue" report, submitted to the Minister in May, reveals sickening cruelty - some hares were killed outright by the greyhounds while others later died of their injuries. For example: At a meeting in Thurles, a hare was suffering a "large injury to the shoulder and front of one of the legs". At Borrisoleigh, hares died in the paddock before the meeting started and four more died during the meeting. At the Doon and District meeting, hares were not in good condition with many having sores on their feet. At Nenagh, among the captured hares were two young hares and two heavily pregnant hares. At Mallow, three hares were struck by greyhounds, one of which was mauled and had to be carried off the field. Last month, ICABS submitted another report to Minister Humphreys. This detailed breaches of the conditions attached to last year's licence and comes following an earlier statement from the Minister that further licence breaches would not be tolerated. In a letter to Minister Humphreys, we outlined that "the 2014-15 breaches include the capture of hares outside the period specified in the licences, failure to cooperate with NPWS personnel, failure to provide particulars of hare captures, the release of hares outside daylight hours, the presentation of inaccurate or incomplete veterinary reports, the failure to carry out post mortems on hares that were killed, etc. There are also additional suspected breaches relating to the presence of injured and pregnant hares in coursing compounds." "Minister, you have previously stated that breaches of licence conditions will not be tolerated," we stated. "We therefore expect you and the National Parks and Wildlife Service to take the identified licence breaches very seriously by initiating prosecutions against the relevant clubs and excluding them from any further coursing licences. Given the routine licence breaches, the unenforceability of licence conditions and the ongoing suffering, injury and death caused to hares, we implore you to reject the current licence application for a 2015-16 coursing season. This would be greatly welcomed by the majority of Irish people who are in favour of a ban on hare coursing." The Republic of Ireland is one of the last countries in the world to allow the use of hares as live bait for greyhounds in coursing. It is already illegal in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Help support our campaign with a donation - please click on the Paypal button at http://www.banbloodsports.com Thank you