Irish hare is facing viable threat to its very species
Irish Daily Mail, 16 September 2019
The presence of Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease in the Irish countryside has halted the 2019/2020 live hare coursing season.
An earlier suspension of the hare coursing licence is to remain in place. A Department of Culture and Heritage spokesperson has confirmed that there is no plan to reissue the licence.
This comes after the highly infectious disease, which the National Parks and Wildlife Service says could be 'castastrophic' for the Irish Hare (Lepus timidus hibernicus), was identified in six counties.
RHD adds to the list of negative impacts on the Irish hare population.
Hare hunting, both legal and illegal, and habitat destruction was herding this species into a conservatino red zone.
In the political arena, Minister Josepha Madigan, whose department has responsibility for issuing the anuual hare capture licence to the Irish Coursing Club, appears devoid of any interest in hare conservation.
Despite the fact that live hare coursing is legal animal abuse, which represents a conservation danger to the hare population of our island - and the reality that the Irish hare is facing a viable threat from a species population impacting disease - the minister still issued a licence to the ICC, permitting their members to capture and course hares.
RHD should be the catalyst for a conservation-based long-term approach to protecting this species.
A first step would be a ban on hare coursing, shooting, beagling and harrying. Activities that are anti-hare that add zero knowledge to hare conservation.
Efforst to confront RHD can then be focused without the distraction of recreational hare killing iimpeding efforts to curtail the impact of this lethal disease.
The Irish hare is facing a rural version of blue-light surgery. The outcome is not certain.
To lose the presence of the Irish hare from our countryside would be a grievous loss inflicted on future generations.
John Tierney
Campaigns Director
Association of Hunt Saboteurs
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URGENT ACTION ALERT
Contact Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Minister Josepha Madigan and urge them to announce a total and permanent end to all hare coursing and hare hunting in Ireland.
Email "Permanently end cruel hare coursing and hare hunting NOW" to josepha.madigan@oireachtas.ie; leo.varadkar@oireachtas.ie; finegael@finegael.ie
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; finegael@finegael.ie
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Josepha Madigan
Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht
Phone: +353 (0)1 631 3800
Leave a comment on Facebook: https://facebook.com/JosephaMadiganFG
Tweet to: @josephamadigan
Fine Gael
51 Upper Mount Street
Dublin 2
Tel: 01 619 8444
Email: finegael@finegael.ie
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