Campaign for the Abolition of Cruel Sports
July 21st 2010
Lower Coyne Street,
Callan,
Co. Kilkenny,
Ireland
Dear Friends,
Following the recent historic ban on carted stag hunting in Ireland, campaigners against blood sports are hopeful that the Irish government will follow up this achievement by banning the horrific practise of live hare coursing, in which hares are used as live bait in contests between competing greyhounds.
Here is a link to a film of what hare coursing in Ireland involves:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFdjBy5S8k8
Thousands of hares are captured annually in Ireland for this “pastime”…to be chased and terrorised in wired enclosures for “fun” and “entertainment”. Many are mauled to death; others die of stress-related ailments or internal injuries after being released back into the wild following the coursing events.
Other hares, mainly the ones deemed unsuitable for coursing, are used to “blood” dogs as part of their training. This involves feeding them live to greyhounds. The greyhounds also suffer injury, ill-treatment, and neglect in coursing.
A decision will be made by the Irish government shortly (at some point before the end of August) on whether to permit yet another season of this barbaric blood sport. The hare-coursing season itself, if allowed to go ahead, would begin in the final week of September.
The Irish government is sensitive to outside opinion as tourism is one of our most lucrative industries, so messages from abroad can influence the decision.
Can you congratulate Ireland’s Environment Minister John Gormley on his achievement in banning carted stag hunting…a brief message will suffice…And ask him to now consider banning live hare coursing in Ireland?
You can contact him at: minister@environ.ie
Thanking you,
John Fitzgerald,
Campaign for the Abolition Of Cruel Sports