Submissions sought: Another chance to get cruel hare coursing banned in Ireland…

Ireland’s National Parks and Wildlife Service has invited submissions/opinions regarding the updating of wildlife protection legislation. This presents another opportunity to press for an immediate ban on the horrific practice of live hare coursing in Ireland. (Closing date for submissions is September 13th.)

Coursing in Ireland involves the capture of thousands of wild hares each year. They are snatched from the countryside and confined for weeks in unnatural captivity until coursing day arrives. They are then released within the confines of a wire-enclosed field and greyhounds are set on them.

Some hares manage to make it to an escape hatch at the opposite end of the venue but others are mauled, tossed up into the air, or have their bones crushed, resulting in injuries or death. Surviving hares are released back into the wild where, unfortunately, many of them die from stress-related ailments brought on by their captivity and the terror of the contrived chase.

Coursing fans laugh and cheer, or mark their betting cards as the terrified hares zigzag desperately to avoid contact with their pursuers. The child-like wailing of an injured hare is ignored by the gamblers who get their “fix” from this medieval “sport.” They avert their eyes or pretend not to see when a hare comes to grief.

Other animals, such as rabbits and feral cats, are used in pre-coursing training sessions, away from public view; an activity known as “blooding.”

Though supposedly a protected species, the Irish Hare effectively has no protection from the politically well-connected coursing clubs. They are given a special exemption in law that enables them to subject the animals to this atrocious ordeal.

Aside from the cruelty issue, the Irish Hare has been in decline for the past half-century due to habitat loss arising from urbanization and the downside of modern agriculture. Coursing adds to these pressures on the species.

Please make a submission (time permitting) to the National Parks and Wildlife Service asking that hare coursing in Ireland be banned as part of the updating of wildlife legislation.

You can draft your own submission… or use the following sample letter if you wish.

Email the submission to

wildlifelegislationreview@npws.gov.ie

(Sample letter)

Attn:

Wildlife Legislation Review,

Legislation and Guidance Unit, 2nd Floor,

National Parks and Wildlife Service,

Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage,

90 North King Street,

Dublin 7, D07 N7CV.

Dear Sir/Madam,

I understand that Ireland’s wildlife legislation is to be updated and that submissions on the subject have been invited from interested groups and individuals.

I urge you to seek the removal of the special exemption from the legislation that permits live hare coursing. For far too long coursing clubs have been allowed to take these gentle creatures from the Irish countryside to serve as live bait in what amounts to public exhibitions of animal cruelty.

People the world over are horrified by reports of how Irish hares are being snatched from the wild just to have dogs set on them…all for a laugh and a gamble. Wildlife rangers from the National Parks and Wildlife Service have, as you know, witnessed the terrorizing and mauling of hares at numerous coursing events so you will already be aware of the cruelty involved. Each year thousands of hares are subjected to this horror.

Animal welfare issues aside, the Irish Hare is under threat from loss of habitat and has been in decline for the past half century.

Please ensure, when the wildlife legislation is updated, that this vile and utterly indefensible practice is outlawed.  It had no place in the 17th century, never mind the 21st.

It’s time to remove this ugly stain from the Irish countryside.

Thanking you

***