Shame on Minister Heather Humphreys and the National Parks and Wildlife Service for issuing licences for a 2017-18 hare coursing season. The licences allow bloodsports clubs to net thousands of hares from the wild for use as live bait for greyhounds to chase at 87 coursing meetings around Ireland over a 29 week period from 11th August 2017 to 28th February 2018 (6 months and 17 days). See the licences at https://www.scribd.com/document/357205333 In licensing this animal cruelty, the Minister and NPWS have ignored appeals from Ireland and around. All the captured hares will suffer the fear and stress of being removed from their habitats, transported in boxes, kept in captivity for months and forced to run for their lives in front of dogs. Hares caught and mauled by the dogs will suffer broken bones or other painful injuries. Some will die on the coursing fields while others will later be euthanised due to the severity of their injuries. Hares who survive the ordeal are at risk of later dying from stress-related capture myopathy. It is to Ireland's great shame that hare coursing is permitted to continue with the blessing of the government. Their lack of compassion and refusal to stop a bloodsport that is illegal in all our neighbouring jurisdictions condemns thousands of timid hares to another season of suffering. See video filmed by ICABS last season exposing the cruelty of coursing. Our footage shows hares being hit and mauled at coursing meetings around Ireland. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRkXOvbUPNNg1KdCXIhJwE_YQELz8SOX0 ACTION ALERT Contact Minister Heather Humphreys now and urge her to revoke these shameful licences. Heather Humphreys, TD Minister for Arts, Heritage and Gaeltacht Affairs Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht 23 Kildare St, Dublin 2 Email: Heather.Humphreys@oireachtas.ie, ministers.office@ahg.gov.ie Tel: +353 (0)1 631 3802 or +353 (0)1 631 3800 Leave a comment on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/heather.humphreysfg Tweet to: @HHumphreysFG Tell the National Parks and Wildlife Service to stop facilitating animal cruelty and refuse any further licences to the Irish Coursing Club. Gerry Leckey Wildlife Licensing Unit National Parks & Wildlife Service Ely Place, Dublin 2 Tel: +353 (0)1 888 3289 Email: wildlifelicence@ahg.gov.ie,Gerry.Leckey@ahg.gov.ie The Irish Hare is a protected species but an exemption for coursing in the Animal Health and Welfare Act means coursers are not liable for prosecution for their cruelty. Join us in our call to the government to remove the exemption and provide full and permanent protection to this cherished species. Contact An Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Leo Varadkar and An Tanaiste (Deputy Prime Minister) Frances Fitzgerald and ask them to ban hare coursing and give permanent protection to hares. An Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar Department of the Taoiseach, Government Buildings, Upper Merrion St, Dublin 2 Telephone: +353 (0)1-6194020 Email: taoiseach@taoiseach.gov.ie, leo.varadkar@oireachtas.ie Tweet to: @campaignforLeo Leave a comment on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/campaignforleo/ An Tanaiste, Frances Fitzgerald Department Of Justice 51 St. Stephen's Green Dublin 2. Tel: +353 1 602-8202 or +353 1 457 7712 Email: frances.fitzgerald@oir.ie Tweet to: @FitzgeraldFrncs Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Frances-Fitzgerald/302584593224671 Express your support for a ban on hare coursing. Sign and share these other petitions Stop Licensing Cruel Hare Coursing https://www.change.org/p/minister-heather-humphreys-stop-licensing-cruel-hare-coursing Ban Blood Sports in Ireland https://www.change.org/petitions/ban-blood-sports-in-ireland