Claims by Irish government ministers that muzzling of greyhounds in coursing has “protected hares in the sport” have just been demolished following the release of documents by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) revealing that four hares died of injuries sustained at the Sevenhouses coursing fixture held in County Kilkenny in January. The information appears on the NPWS website.

Footage secretly recorded at the same fixture by an animal welfare observer (and also not made public until this week) shows one of those hares referred to in the NPWS report being struck, pinned down, and mauled by the dogs. Coursing officials can be seen in the video clip running across the field and pulling the hare from the dogs before carrying the doomed animal off the venue.

Significantly, the coursing club in question had claimed in January that no hares came to harm at the fixture.

Here is further evidence that muzzling has NOT ended the cruelty of hare coursing in Ireland. Only an outright ban on the practice will protect the iconic Irish Hare from this medieval savagery…at a time when the animal is under threat from loss of habitat resulting from urbanization and the downside of modern agriculture.

You can help the campaign to end hare coursing in Ireland by signing a petition or by emailing

Minister Josepha Madigan, requesting that she outlaw the bloodsport

Postal address:

Ms. Josepha Madigan, Minister for Culture, Heritage & the Gaeltacht,

Dail Eireann, Dublin 2.

Phone: +353 (0)1 631 3800

Email: josepha.madigan@oireachtas.ie, ministers.office@ahg.gov.ie, wildlifelicence@ahg.gov.ie, Gerry.Leckey@ahg.gov.ie, nature.conservation@ahg.gov.ie

Or: You can leave a comment on Facebook:https://facebook.com/JosephaMadiganFG
Tweet to: @josephamadigan

Here’ s the footage of the hare mauling at the Sevenhouses coursing event: