The Northern Ireland Assembly is to consider a Bill proposing a ban on the hunting with dogs of hares, stags and foxes. If passed the Bill would outlaw these activities in which animals are hounded to exhaustion until they are either killed or horribly injured.

Hares are ripped apart by the pack after a long chase. Foxes have the skin ripped from their bones, and the ones that escape underground are unearthed with the aid of spades ad terriers, as shown in the picture, and tossed to the pack.

Captive stags are released for hounds to chase them. By the end of a hunt they can be covered in wounds from brambles and barbed wire sustained along the route. Stags have dropped dead from heart attacks resulting from extreme stress and terror, and have drowned in rivers and lakes in their desperate bid to outrun the dogs.

Hare coursing is already illegal in Northern Ireland and campaigners hope that the above practises will now be the list of banned bloods ports in the jurisdiction.

Time permitting; perhaps you might send a message to members of the Northern Ireland Assembly, asking them to support the upcoming Bill to ban these horrific blood sports. Below are the email address of all the members, in three lists. Simply email your message, having “copy and pasted” all the addresses into the “back-up copy” line.

You can compose your own message or use the following sample:

Attn: Members of Northern Ireland Assembly

Dear MLA,

I understand that a Bill proposing a ban on the cruel hunting with dogs of hares, stags and foxes is due to come before the Assembly. I appeal to you to support this Bill and thus help to put an end to activities that cause untold suffering to innocent animals in the name of so-called “sport.” By banning these practises in Northern Ireland you will also be setting an example to the Republic of Ireland so that, hopefully, it will then enact a similar law to protect wildlife from the worst forms of organised animal cruelty.

Thanking you

Send your message to:

steve.aiken@co.niassembly.gov.uk, steve.aiken@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, andy.allen@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, info@jimallister.org, martina.anderson@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, caoimhe.archibald@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, kellie.armstrong@allianceparty.org, kellie.armstrong@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, clare.bailey@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, rosemary.barton@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, doug.beattie@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, roy.beggs@btopenworld.com, roy.beggs@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, john.blair@allianceparty.org, cathal.boylan@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, maurice.bradley@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, paula.bradley@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, sinead.bradley@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, paula.bradshaw@allianceparty.org, paula.bradshaw@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, keith.buchanan@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, thomas.buchanan@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, jonathan.buckley@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, joanne.bunting@co.niassembly.gov.uk, robbie.butler@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, pam.cameron@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, gerry.carroll@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, pat.catney@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, alan.chambers@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, trevor.clarke@mla.niassembly.gov.uk,

List two

stewart.dickson@allianceparty.org, stewart.dickson@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, linda.dillon@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, diane.dodds@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, jemma.dolan@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, gordon.dunne@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, markh.durkan@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, alex.easton@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, sinead.ennis@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, orlaithi.flynn@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, arlene.foster@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, office@arlenefoster.org.uk, paul.frew@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, colm.gildernew@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, paul.givan@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, deirdre.hargey@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, harry.harvey@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, david.hilditch@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, william.humphrey@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, williamhy@dup-belfast.co.uk, cara.hunter@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, william.irwin@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, declan.kearney@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, dolores.kelly@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, gerry.kelly@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, liz.kimmins@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, naomi.long@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, trevor.lunn@allianceparty.org,

List Three

trevor.lunn@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, sean.lynch@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, gordon.lyons@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, chris.lyttle.co@allianceparty.org, chris.lyttle@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, declan.mcaleer@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, fra.mccann@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, daniel.mccrossan@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, strabaneoffice@sdlp.ie, patsymcglonemla@yahoo.ie, colin.mcgrath@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, philip.mcguigan@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, maoliosa.mchugh@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, michelle.mcilveen@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, sinead.mclaughlin@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, justin.mcnulty@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, nichola.mallon@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, alex.maskey@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, gary.middleton@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, office@andrewmuir.net, karen.mullan@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, conor.murphy@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, mike.nesbitt@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, robin.newton@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, caral.nichuilin@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, john.odowd@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, michelle.oneill@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, sinnfeincookstown@yahoo.com, matthew.otoole@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, edwin.poots@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, george.robinson@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, emma.rogan@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, pat.sheehan@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, emma.sheerin@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, christopher.stalford@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, john.stewart@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, mervyn.storey@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, claire.sugden@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, robin.swann@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, peter.weir@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, peterweirmla@gmail.com, jim.wells@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, rachel.woods@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, ricky.bamford@party.niassembly.gov.uk