Hare coursing ban must stay in place - Read John Fitzgerald's Letter to the Editor in today's Sunday Independent...
Hare coursing ban must stay in place
Sunday Independent, 18th August 2019
Sir - Recently, Culture and Heritage Minister Josepha Madigan dramatically withdrew the licence that permits coursing clubs to capture hares - meaning that no hare coursing can take place.
The reason for the decision was an outbreak of the deadly rabbit haemorrhagic disease (RHD) that could decimate the hare and rabbit populations in Ireland, as it has done in other parts of the world.
The minister's decision was not only commendable, but clearly unavoidable as the future of our iconic Irish hare is in the balance.
This animal is a sub-species of the mountain hare unique to Ireland.
It is a treasured part of our wildlife heritage, renowned in song and folklore and an animal that country folk love to see when they picnic or go walking.
Despite the enormous threat posed by the disease, however, some coursing fans are lobbying for a reversal of the minister's decision.
Those of us who care for the future of the Irish hare should urge the minister not to capitulate to this pressure.
Let's take a stand on behalf of our persecuted Irish hare. It has suffered for long enough.
John Fitzgerald,
Campaign for the Abolition Of Cruel Sports
Callan, Co Kilkenny
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ICABS ACTION ALERT
Contact the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Josepha Madigan, and urge her to permanently stop licensing cruel hare coursing.
Email: josepha.madigan@oireachtas.ie or
Phone: +353 (0)1 631 3800
Leave a comment on Facebook: https://facebook.com/JosephaMadiganFG
Tweet to: @josephamadigan
Contact Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Tanaiste Simon Coveney. Ask them to ban hare coursing and give permanent protection to hares.
An Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar
Government Buildings,
Upper Merrion St, Dublin 2
Telephone: +353 (0)1-6194020
Email: taoiseach@taoiseach.gov.ie, leo.varadkar@oireachtas.ie
Tweet to: @LeoVaradkar
Leave a comment on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LeoVaradkar
Simon Coveney TD
Tanaiste/Deputy Prime Minister
Iveagh House
80 St Stephen's Green, Dublin 2
Phone: +353 (0)1 408 2000
Email: simon.coveney@oireachtas.ie
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SimonCoveney
Tweet to: @simoncoveney
Please sign and our other petition
Irish Government: Stop Giving Millions of Euro to Cruel Greyhound Industry
https://www.change.org/p/irish-government-stop-giving-millions-of-euro-to-cruel-greyhound-industry