Dozens of hares are being held captive in a coursing compound in Edenderry, awaiting their fate today, Friday 20th October, when they will be used as live bait for dogs to chase. These beautiful Irish Hares should be living free in the countryside as nature intended but instead, they will be running for their lives on Friday, Saturday and Sunday for the amusement of a merciless mob of cheering and gambling bloodsport fanatics. Filmed by the Irish Council Against Blood Sports, the hares could be seen sitting helplessly in the rain, some huddling together, others cowering in the long grass. On the first day of the three-day Edenderry coursing meeting, they will be released one-by-one ahead of pairs of greyhounds, desperately running to stay ahead. Hares who get hit will suffer injuries and cry out in pain. Previously, at the Edenderry coursing meeting, we have filmed hares being hit hard and sent tumbling head over heels. This disgusting activity is taking place thanks to a licence from Arts & Heritage Minister Heather Humphreys and the National Parks and Wildlife Service who, favouring persecution over protection, have shamefully ignored calls for an end to coursing. The Edenderry hares are just some of thousands around Ireland snatched from the wild in nets, manhandled into crates and confined in fenced-off fields for coursing. Think of them on Friday and over the weekend and join us as we renew our appeal to the government to do the right thing and put in place a long overdue ban on hare coursing. ACTION ALERT Contact Minister Heather Humphreys and the NPWS and urge them to immediately withdraw the coursing licence and put in place permanent protection for hares. Heather Humphreys, TD Minister for Arts, Heritage and Gaeltacht Affairs Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht 23 Kildare Street, Dublin 2 Tel: +353 (0)1 631 3802 or +353 (0)1 631 3800 Email: Heather.Humphreys@oireachtas.ie, ministers.office@ahg.gov.ie, taoiseach@taoiseach.gov.ie, leo.varadkar@oireachtas.ie, wildlifelicence@ahg.gov.ie, Gerry.Leckey@ahg.gov.ie Leave a comment on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/heather.humphreysfg Tweet to: @HHumphreysFG Contact Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Leo Varadkar and ask him to ban hare coursing. An Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar Department of the Taoiseach, Government Buildings, Upper Merrion St, Dublin 2 Telephone: +353 (0)1-6194020 Email: taoiseach@taoiseach.gov.ie, leo.varadkar@oireachtas.ie Tweet to: @campaignforLeo Leave a comment on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/campaignforleo/