Despite the deadly RHD2 virus spreading across the country and threatening the future of the Irish Hare, it has emerged that the (open) coursing, hunting and shooting of hares is being allowed to continue.
Responding to Dail Questions this week, Minister Josepha Madigan - who previously stated that the virus “has the potential to wipe out the hare population completely” - outlined that, incredibly, an open season for hares remains in place.
“The Open Seasons Order allows for the shooting of hares, coursing of hares at regulated coursing matches and hunting of hares with packs of beagles and harriers between 26 September and 28 February of the following year,” Minister Madigan stated. “While the Irish Coursing Club netting and tagging licences were suspended following the detection of RHD2, open coursing and hunting of hares with beagles and harriers is still permissible during the open season...I am keeping the matter of the Open Seasons Order under review in the context of the RHD2 virus.”
Minister Madigan was responding to Dail Questions from Maureen O’Sullivan TD (Dublin Central, Independent) who asked about “the open seasons order in relation to hares” and Catherine Martin TD (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party) who enquired about “her plans to suspend the open season order for hares in view of the recent outbreak of rabbit haemorrhagic disease RHD2 which has been found in at least six counties in approximately 12 rabbits and two hares”.
The Minister’s response comes as ICABS received confirmation that a third hare was found dead with RHD2 in North Dublin. Dead rabbits and hares with RHD2 have now been discovered in 7 counties - Cork, Clare, Dublin, Leitrim, Offaly, Wicklow and Wexford.
Given the fact that Minister Madigan has acknowledged that RHD2 is highly infectious, widespread and could prove “catastrophic” for the Irish Hare, it is imperative that she does everything possible to save the species. She must immediately announce a permanent ban on all forms of hare coursing and hare hunting, including beagling, harrying and shooting. As the disease can be “easily spread” - including in the faeces and urine of infected animals as well as on human clothing - a ban on foxhunting (which involves hunters on foot and horseback terrorising foxes across multiple farmlands and large areas of countryside) must also be put in place.
URGENT ACTION ALERT
The NPWS is urging members of the public who “see instance of mass mortality in rabbits or individual hares - apparently uninjured but lying dead in fields” to contact the National Parks and Wildlife Service - Email nature.conservation@chg.gov.ie or Phone 1890 383 000.
Contact Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Minister Josepha Madigan and urge them to permanently end hare coursing, hare hunting and foxhunting.
Email "Permanently end cruel hare coursing, hare hunting and fox 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
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Josepha Madigan
Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht
Phone: +353 (0)1 631 3800
Email: josepha.madigan@oireachtas.ie
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Fine Gael
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Dublin 2
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Ban Bloodsports in Ireland
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Save Ireland’s hares from extinction
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