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Animal Voice - September 2007
Campaign newsletter of the Irish Council Against Blood Sports In This Issue:
01. Ban this despicable blood sport
01. Ban this despicable blood sport Please join our urgent appeal to Green Party Environment Minister, John Gormley, to refuse a licence to the Ward Union carted deer hunt. The Minister is currently considering a licence application from the hunt for another season of despicable blood sport abuse. Before responding to the Action Alerts below, please view our video presentation - Video: The cruelty of carted deer hunting - which exposes what happens to the Ward Union deer - from the moment they are released from the cart to the end of the hunt when they are bitten by dogs and tackled to the ground. About the Ward Union Dozens of men and women on horseback, a pack of 40 howling hounds and one defenceless deer. That's the Ward Union hunt's revolting recipe for "sport". For over 150 years, this widely condemned group have been getting their kicks from abusing animals. Deer, with their antlers cut off, are driven from the hunt's private deer park in a livestock cart and set up as quarry. According to Department of Agriculture records, some deer are aware of the terror that lays ahead, with one observed showing "body tremors, excessive salivation and panting". The disorientated animal gets a ten minute head start into the countryside of Meath or North County Dublin before finding the heartless Ward Union cavalry and their hounds closing in from behind. The creature frantically tries to stay ahead but being in unfamiliar territory, the route is hazardous. Its tongue hangs out and sweat sprays from its body as it crashes through hedges, over walls, across busy public roads and even down village streets. It's a gruelling ordeal which can last for up to three hours and result in cuts, bruises, bites, lameness and exhaustion. Veterinary documents, obtained by the Irish Council Against Blood Sports under the Freedom of Information Act, have also exposed some of the inevitable fatalities. There was a deer which died of fractured ribs, two deer which died from ruptured aortic aneurisms, a deer which drowned in a quarry and a deer which dropped dead after desperately trying to escape over an 8ft wall. When the unfortunate animal becomes so depleted that it can run no more, hunt members move in to tackle it to the ground. On at least one occasion this merciless move has led to a deer being "accidentally choked" to death. Dragged along to the hunt cart and returned to the deer park, the deer used will await a future hunt outing when they will again have to endure this appalling abuse. For far too long, the Ward Union have been flouting the Protection of Animals Act which clearly makes it is an offence to terrorise or cause unnecessary suffering. Their cowardly hunt may have been acceptable in the 1800s but there's no place for it in a modern Ireland where the vast majority of people abhor animal cruelty. All of us eagerly await Minister John Gormley's historic decision to banish this blood sport back into the past where it belongs. (Philip Kiernan, ICABS) ACTION ALERT 1 Please contact Environment Minister, John Gormley, and appeal to him to stand firm against the Ward Union and refuse a licence for their abuse of deer.
SAMPLE LETTER
Minister John Gormley
Dear Minister Gormley, I am writing to implore you to stand firm against the Ward Union and refuse a licence for another season of despicable deer abuse. In its pre-election manifesto, the Green Party pledged to ban blood sports when in government. Please take the opportunity to fulfil this promise and end the suffering of these deer. Thank you very much, Minister. I look forward to your reply. Yours sincerely, Name/Location ACTION ALERT 2 Please contact your local TD and Senator and ask them to make an appeal to Minister Gormley on your behalf. For the names of your TDs, please click on your county on the Irish Government website (http://www.oireachtas.ie/members%2Dhist/default.asp?housetype=0&HouseNum=30&disp=const)
Contact your TD at:
For a list of Senators, please visit the Irish Government website (www.oireachtas.ie/members-hist/default.asp?housetype=1&HouseNum=23&disp=mem)
Contact your Senator at:
02. Green Party urged to honour pre-election pledge In its pre-election manifesto, the Green Party made a historic pledge to ban blood sports if they succeeded in getting into government. With two Ministers and a Minister of State now in position, the Green Party is today firmly in government. Please join us in urging the Green Party to honour its promise to bring hare coursing, carted deer hunting and fox hunting to an end in Ireland. ACTION ALERT Please send a message of support to the six Green Party TDs and urge them to stand firm on their pledge to protect Irish animals from the terrible cruelty of blood sports.
Minister John Gormley, Minister for the Environment
Ciaran Cuffe, TD
Trevor Sargent TD
Minister Eamon Ryan, TD
Mary White, TD
Paul Gogarty TD
SAMPLE LETTER
Dear Deputy, I am writing to urge the Green Party to please honour its pre-election promise to ban blood sports in Ireland. The Irish animals so cruelly abused and killed in our countryside are depending on your commitment to bring blood sports to an end. As a first step, I appeal to you to please refuse a licence to the Ward Union deer hunt. Your historic move will be widely welcomed across Ireland and the world. Thank you and best wishes. Name/Location 03. Coursers get go-ahead from Minister The Irish Council Against Blood Sports has expressed disappointment at the news that Minister John Gormley has issued another licence to the Irish Coursing Club. The licence will allow coursing clubs around Ireland to snatch thousands of hares from the wild to be used as live lures. A decision has not yet been made on the licensing of the Ward Union but ICABS remains hopeful that this will become the first of our blood sports to be banned. ICABS is saddened to think of the hares that will be removed from their habitats in the coming weeks and months and forced to run for their lives in front of greyhounds. As highlighted to the Minister in the weeks leading up to his decision, hares continue to suffer appalling injuries on the coursing fields. Some are so severely mauled that they drop dead or have to be put down. Despite our disappointment, the campaign against coursing most definitely goes on. With your help, we will continue to press Minister Gormley to ban this shameful blemish on the Irish countryside. Please follow our action alerts below and share our confidence that the day is coming when Irish animals will be spared the cruelty and inhumanity of blood sports. ACTION ALERT 1 Please contact Environment Minister, John Gormley, and appeal to him to reconsider his decision to licence hare coursing. Urge him to stand firm against the Ward Union and refuse a licence for their abuse of deer.
SAMPLE LETTER
Minister John Gormley
Dear Minister Gormley, I am writing to express my great disappointment at your decision to licence hare coursing in Ireland. This licence not only disregards the awful animal cruelty of coursing but also the wishes of the majority of Irish adults who want this barbarism banned. I hope that you will find a way to urgently bring coursing to an end in Ireland. I understand that you will be considering the licensing of carted deer hunting in the coming weeks. I implore you to stand firm against the Ward Union and refuse this licence. In its pre-election manifesto, the Green Party pledged to ban blood sports when in government. You now have the opportunity to fulfil this promise and end the suffering of deer and hares. Yours sincerely, Name/Location ACTION ALERT 2 Please contact your local TD and Senator and ask them to make an appeal to Minister Gormley on your behalf. For the names of your TDs, please click on your county on the Irish Government website (www.oireachtas.ie/members%2Dhist/default.asp?housetype=0&HouseNum=30&disp=const)
Contact your TD at:
For a list of Senators, please visit the Irish Government website (www.oireachtas.ie/members-hist/default.asp?housetype=1&HouseNum=23&disp=mem)
Contact your Senator at:
04. Westmeath coursing club refused licence A hare coursing club in County Westmeath has been refused a licence for a meeting in October. Although ICABS is pleased that at least one club has been stopped, it's little consolation - the licence recently issued by Minister Gormley allows 90 other coursing meetings to proceed. Our campaign against this deplorable blood sport continues. Westmeath United Coursing Club, based in Raharney, was refused a licence for the 2-day meeting due to a serious licence breach in August 2006 when they were found to have hares on their premises, outside the licence period. The club was reported to the National Parks and Wildlife Service by ICABS after a caller to our offices alerted us to the presence of hares on the club's grounds. The club was subsequently convicted at Killucan District Court last June. Club chairman, Brendan Farrelly, admitted at the time that the hares had been caught outside the period specified on the licence. Quoted in the local media, he claimed that "it was simply over-enthusiasm on the part of some members." Mr Farrelly resigned his position as chairman of the general purposes sub-committee of the Irish Coursing Club, but maintained that this was unconnected to his own club's licence breach. "On the basis of breaches of the previous licence the Minister has decided to exclude one of the affiliated clubs from the licence for the coming season and to curtail the activities of two other affiliated clubs," Minister Gormley announced in a statement. ICABS has welcomed this season's ban on the netting of hares for use as live lures by the Westmeath United Coursing Club. Spokesperson Aideen Yourell commented: "At least the hares in that area are spared the trauma and terror of being snatched from the wild and kept captive in a coursing compound to be used as live lures before greyhounds in a barbaric activity more suitable to the dark ages than present day Ireland." Our campaign to secure a ban on all coursing clubs continues. 05. Hare "squealed with distress": more coursing cruelty uncovered A hare "squealed with distress" after being caught by a muzzled greyhound during a coursing meeting last season. Just one of the deplorable instances of animal cruelty uncovered by ICABS from the latest NPWS reports. The documents, obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, provide yet another horrifying insight into the fate of hares caught by coursing clubs. The abuse outlined is some of the worst ever encountered by ICABS. Among the disturbing incidents witnessed by the National Parks and Wildlife Service rangers during the 2006/07 season are:
For more details, please click on Latest News and scroll down to
06. Video: Paddy Power - Stop the bloody bullring bets ICABS has produced a 30 second video as part of our campaign to convince Paddy Power to stop accepting bets on the number of ears carved from the heads of bulls. The presentation shows graphic footage of a bull being cut with a dagger alongside the slogan: "Paddy Power Plc - Stop the bloody bullring bets".
To view the video, visit:
ACTION ALERT Please urgently contact the CEO of Paddy Power and demand an end to its bullfighting bets. Ask as many of your friends as possible to respond to this action alert.
Patrick Kennedy
Email: info@paddypowerplc.com; ppower@paddypower.com
SAMPLE LETTER
Dear Mr Kennedy, I am writing to express my absolute disgust that the Paddy Power company is currently accepting bets on the number of ears that will be cut off the heads of bulls after bullfighting events in Spain. The ears are carved off as grisly trophies for the matadors and often removed while the animal is still alive. It is beyond belief that a company which values its image would want to associate with this cruel and indefensible animal cruelty. Bulls are subjected to the most horrendous abuse in Spanish bullrings - spiked spears and swords are plunged into their flesh and they finally collapse in agony with blood cascading from their backs and spraying from their mouths and nostrils. I ask you to immediately end your bullfighting bets. Yours sincerely, Name/Location 07. Meath TD slammed for defending animal cruelty Fine Gael TD, Shane McEntee, has been criticised by ICABS for defending animal cruelty. Deputy McEntee has claimed that "hunting has a long and honourable tradition in County Meath" and is asking for a licence to be granted to the Ward Union hunt. In a statement headed "Hands off Hunting", the Navan TD maintained that the controversial deer hunt "has built up an excellent relationship with farmers and the wider community across the county". "I am calling on the Environment Minister, John Gormley to grant a licence to the Ward Union Hunt to hunt live stags," he said. "Any doubts about the future of the Ward Union Hunt should be removed. Meath would be a poorer place if the Ward Union Hunt was not allowed to hunt across its fields." ICABS has strongly rejected Shane McEntee's pro-hunting claims and we have issued the following response. It's hardly "honourable" to hound tame, defenceless deer around the countryside, leaving them exhausted and at high risk of injury, and even death. Department of Agriculture reports (obtained by this organisation under FOI) have revealed numerous disturbing incidents, including a deer hanging by its front leg on barbed wire, a deer which died of fractured ribs, a deer which died of a ruptured aortic aneurism brought on by the huge stress of the chase, a deer "accidentally" choked on capture, a deer, having run 8 miles in 90 minutes, with a lather of white foam around its muzzle, a deer which drowned in a quarry and a deer which dropped dead after desperately trying to escape over an 8ft wall. How can Deputy McEntee, as a public representative, stand over and endorse such a cruel activity, masquerading as "sport"? As regards Deputy McEntee's claim that the Ward Union has an "excellent relationship" with farmers and the wider community, this is highly questionable, given the litany of complaints down the years against this hunt from farmers and the general public regarding trespass on lands, damage to fields and boundaries as well as the cutting of wire - an admission made by a hunt official on RTE's Liveline show earlier this year. The hunt have also been criticised for invading private gardens, creating traffic hazards by riding along public roads, holding up vehicles, including a school bus and two ambulances (witnessed and filmed by ICABS) and generally making a nuisance of themselves. The high profile and widely reported Kildalkey incident, earlier this year, pointed up the utter irresponsibility of this group, when a deer was chased into a schoolyard by the hounds, resulting in the school having to lock down, while the followers on horseback rode roughshod through Kildalkey village. All of these incidents most definitely negate Deputy McEntee's claim that the Ward Union has an "excellent relationship with farmers and the wider community". It would behove Deputy McEntee to call for the Ward Union hunt to do the honourable and responsible thing and immediately switch to drag hunting. Drag hunting (already practised by the Ward Union as a way of exercising hounds) would be more humane, safer for all concerned, and more environmentally responsible, as the route taken by the hunt would be pre-ordained and set out with the agreement of farmers and landowners. ACTION ALERT 1 Please contact Minister John Gormley and ask him to refuse a carted deer hunting licence.
SAMPLE LETTER
Minister John Gormley
Dear Minister Gormley, I support the call by the Irish Council Against Blood Sports for you to refuse a licence to the Ward Union carted deer hunt. The Green Party promised to ban blood sports when in government. I hope that you will take this opportunity to make history for Irish animals by refusing to licence these blood sports groups. Thank you very much, Minister. I look forward to your positive response. Yours sincerely, Name/Location ACTION ALERT 2 Please contact your local TD and Senator and ask them to make an appeal to Minister Gormley on your behalf. For the names of your TDs, please click on your county on the Irish Government website (www.oireachtas.ie/members%2Dhist/default.asp?housetype=0&HouseNum=30&disp=const)
Contact your TD at:
For a list of Senators, please visit the Irish Government website
Contact your Senator at:
ACTION ALERT 3 If you are one of Shane McEntee's County Meath constituents, make him aware of your views on the Ward Union. If you are a landowner, homeowner, motorist or parent who has in any way been negatively affected by the Ward Union, please point this out in your correspondence. Ask Deputy McEntee to stop defending the Ward Union hunt.
Shane McEntee, TD
ICABS is asking members of the public to check their local hardware stores and co-op shops for a trap which involves the drowning of mice. The MouseMaster trap lures the creatures onto the lid of a bucket where they fall into water and die. ICABS has learnt that the trap is unlawful in Ireland. The cruel traps may still be on sale around the country, however. Please help identify the shops where the traps are being sold. If you spot one of these traps, please email us with the name and address of the shop and we will pass it on to the National Parks and Wildlife Service. Thank you. About the trap: A newspaper advert for the MouseMaster states that it holds up to 10 mice and "regular checks are not required". According to a Yahoo News report, the trap's Irish inventor said that one of the advantages of the trap is that the bucket can house any number of dead mice as well as other animals. The trap won a bronze medal in the International Category at the 2004 British Invention Show. ICABS understands that the trap is unlawful under Ireland's Wildlife Act 1976 (Approved Traps, Snares And Nets) Regulations 2003. To view photos of the trap, please click on "Latest News" and scroll down to Unlawful trap appeal 09. Tony Gregory urges Minister to ban coursing ICABS Vice-President, Tony Gregory, TD has urged Minister Gormley to refuse a licence to hare coursers. Deputy Gregory pointed to the horrific injuries suffered by coursed hares and reminded the Minister that a majority of Irish people want the blood sport outlawed. "I urge you not to grant a licence to the Irish Coursing Club," Deputy Gregory stated. "As Minister for the Environment you now have an opportunity to ensure that the cruelty to animals inherent in hare coursing is ended, a move which would be welcomed by a majority of people." 10. Kathy Sinnott, MEP joins calls for blood sports bans Irish MEP, Kathy Sinnott, has joined the calls for a ban on hare coursing and carted deer hunting. In a letter to Green Party Environment Minister, John Gormley, Ms Sinnott asked for an end to "this terrible practice of animal abuse". "I support the call by the Irish Council Against Blood Sports for you to refuse licences for the Irish Coursing Club and the Ward Union carted deer hunt," she stated. "I join their calls for you to refuse licences to those involved in this terrible practice of animal abuse." ICABS has thanked Kathy Sinnott for her support.
For more information on Kathy Sinnott, MEP, please visit
11. Swiss Greens support ICABS appeal to Irish Greens The Green Party in Switzerland has taken time out from its pre-election campaigning to convey a message of support to ICABS. Vice General Secretary, Miriam Behrens, announced that "the Swiss Greens fully support your position" and asked us to convey to Irish Green Party Minister, John Gormley, their desire to see blood sports licences refused here. ICABS has thanked the Swiss Greens for this support and have conveyed their message to Minister Gormley and the Green Party's TDs and Senators. 12. "You have my full support": Sean Hughes ICABS is delighted to report that popular Irish actor and comedian, Sean Hughes, has given the thumbs up to our campaign. Sean, who recently appeared in Coronation Street, told us in an email: "You have my full support." "I am opposed to any cruelty," he said. "I find animal cruelty disgusting. You have my full support." ICABS is delighted to have the support of Sean Hughes. Check out his latest performance as Pat (Eileen Grimshaw's love interest) in Coronation Street or visit his website at www.myspace.com/seanhughescomedian for more information on his film and TV roles as well as his books and live comedy shows. Other celebrities who have expressed their support for our campaign against blood sports include U2, Brigitte Bardot, Howard Jones, Benjamin Zephaniah and Coronation Street's David Neilson. 13. Hunt kennels fined under Litter Pollution Act The following is an extract from the Waterford News and Star of 3rd August 2007: "Since January Waterford City Council have issued 28 litter fines for illegal signs. The council have also recently obtained two convictions at Waterford District Court in prosecutions brought against two offenders under the Litter Pollution Act 1997. The first saw Waterford Hunt Kennels, Brenan, Kilmacthomas, Co. Waterford being convicted of the illegal display of signs on the Outer Ring Road. They were sent two litter fines under the Litter Pollution Act 1997 for displaying illegal signs, which remained unpaid. Waterford Hunt Kennels were not represented in court. They were fined 300 Euro for each fine and ordered to pay legal cost and 75 Euro expenses on each fine." 14. No more in-flight bullfights The Irish Council Against Blood Sports has praised the new publishers of Ryanair Magazine for an assurance that bullfighting will no longer be publicised in the popular in-flight publication. Editor, Ramsay Short, promised ICABS this week that "there will not be any stories promoting or highlighting bullfighting". "You'll be pleased to hear that since Ink Publishing took on the mantle of producing Ryanair Magazine there have [not] been and there will not be any stories promoting or highlighting bullfighting or any other such sport," Mr Short stated. "Earlier this year when running a small item on the Pamplona bull run was raised, it was quickly deemed something that we would not want to place in the magazine," he added. "Instead in our June-July edition we highlighted the Running of the Nudes - a protest against the Running of the Bulls." ICABS is delighted at this positive response from Ink Publishing, an award winning company which produces more in-flight magazines for more airlines than any other publisher in the world. Their pro-animal stance means that a visit to a bullfight will no longer be suggested as a holiday activity for Ryanair Magazine's potential monthly readership of 4 million. Despite repeated appeals and complaints to the previous publishers of the magazine, bullfighting used to be regularly publicised. In the August 2006 edition, bullrunning also received coverage with readers being encouraged to "Come to Pamplona and run with the bulls". 15. New anti-bullfighting leaflet Please print out and distribute the new Irish Council Against Blood Sports' anti-bullfighting leaflet. The message on this year's leaflet is: "Have happy holiday memories - This summer, boycott bullfighting".
Download the leaflet now! (pdf, 1.9 Mb) The Irish Council Against Blood Sports has appealed to Yahoo! to drop a matador from its range of avatars (http://avatars.yahoo.com). The offensive costume includes a red cape and allows users to assume the role of a bullfighter. In a letter to the company's head office, ICABS outlined how the individuals who wear this outfit in the real world are merciless in their treatment of animals. ICABS told Yahoo CEO, Jerry Yang, that bullfighting is opposed by millions of people around the world and that an international campaign to secure a ban is ongoing. In our appeal we stated: "As bullfighters are responsible for some of the world's worst cruelty to animals, we ask Yahoo to replace the 'Turquoise & Gold Torero Outfit' with an outfit more appropriate to Yahoo's friendly, fun and respectful values." ACTION ALERT Post a letter or send a fax to Yahoo! and appeal for the matador avatar to be scrapped.
Jerry Yang
17. Latest appeal: Print and post today If you have friends or family members who do not have access to the internet, please print and distribute our latest appeal to Minister John Gormley. The "No More Licences for Animal Cruelty" appeal (pdf, 286Kb) can be downloaded from http://banbloodsports.wordpress.com/files/2009/07/nolicences.pdf 18. Positive coverage for fox in newspaper An Irish newspaper aimed at promoting nature has given foxes the positive coverage they deserve! Refreshingly free from the usual misinformation, the article published in Sherkin Comment dispels myths and portrays the fox as one of our most fascinating wild mammals. The article, which can also be viewed on the ENFO website (www.enfo.ie - Click on Wildlife and scroll down to Information Leaflets) provides lots of information about the fox and its behaviour as well as tips on how to identify fox tracks and calls. Among the fox facts presented for readers are:
19. Hare suffering evidence presented to former Minister The Irish Council Against Blood Sports has presented evidence of coursing cruelty to former Environment Minister, Dick Roche. The hare suffering occurred during the 2006-07 coursing season following a licence issued by Mr Roche. "You will recall that last year, you issued a licence to the Irish Coursing Club to net hares from the wild for use as lures in coursing," ICABS stated in a letter to Minister of State Roche. "We wish to bring to your attention instances of suffering experienced by hares during the subsequent coursing meetings. These include hares squealing in distress with broken limbs." "Aideen Yourell of the Irish Council Against Blood Sports welcomed Mr Gormley's expected action: 'The Ward Union deer hunters are the grown-up version of the schoolyard bully. Releasing a defenceless, domesticated deer into the countryside and hounding it around for a couple of hours for 'entertainment' is nothing short of sadism.'" (Irish Examiner, September 6th, 2007) "ICABS spokesperson, Aideen Yourell, said it was hardly 'honourable' to hound tame, defenceless deer around the countryside, leaving them exhausted and at high risk of injury, and even death...'How can Deputy McEntee, as a public representative, stand over and endorse such a cruel activity, masquerading as sport?' she asked. She said Deputy McEntee`s claim that the Ward Union had an 'excellent relationship' with farmers and the wider community was highly questionable, given the litany of complaints down the years against this hunt from farmers and the general public regarding trespass on lands and damage to fields and boundaries." (Meath Chronicle, 18th September, 2007) "Aideen Yourell, Irish Council Against Blood Spots, said a licence to net hares would give around 75 coursing clubs the go-ahead to 'cruelly snatch approximately 7,000 hares from their habitats in nets.' She said: 'The hares are kept captive in coursing compounds for weeks before being forced to run in terror from greyhounds on the days of coursing.' Ms Yourell reminded the Green leader that his party's stated policy is that 'when in government' they will 'introduce legislation to end blood sports'. (Irish Independent, September 5th 2007) "The Irish Council Against Blood Sports (ICABS) have described Paddy Power's bullfighting bets as 'in the poorest of taste'. Spokesperson Aideen Yourell, from ICABS, said: 'Visitors to the website are being given the opportunity to guess the total number of ears carved off the animals and given to matadors as gruesome trophies. As people are casting bets on paddypower.com, the bulls are stumbling around the bullrings with blood spurting from their backs and spraying from their noses and mouths. The animals are also sometimes still alive when the horrible ear removal ritual is performed. Surely, this is not the type of activity which Paddy Power wants to either be associated with or to make money from?' (Limerick Post, 8th September 2007) "Readers of Monday's column will remember the bizarre and incredibly heartless story of how the bookie [Paddy Power] is offering odds on how many bulls' ears the matadors will amputate on any given bull fight. The abhorrent practise, often carried out while the bull is still alive is one of the more pointlessly violent aspects of a thoroughly sadistic pastime. And yet, despite the growing public opposition to Power legitimising this practise at a time when even Spanish television is no longer showing bull fighting, he went on to The Last Word with Aideen Yourell from the Irish Council Against Blood Sports the other day to resolutely defend his position." ("Really, Paddy, you got this one wrong", Ian O'Doherty column, Irish Independent, August 29th 2007) "As for the fox, I bear him no grudge. It's a tough job being the top predator in the Irish countryside. You have to be smart and grab an opportunity when it's offered and you go hungry quite often. The pressure is even greater if you're trying to supply a vixen and a litter of cubs in your den. I don't blame him. I blame myself for being careless." (Dick Warner, columnist Irish Examiner, 28th May 2007 on the killing of two hens by a fox after their enclosure was damaged in a storm.) "Hunting along the deep valley, one fox went back to the high country, but the other stayed in the valley and paid the price for his mistake...Meanwhile another fox was viewed...they pushed the fox out over the hilltop and back down the valley into a roadside drain. Here hounds marked strongly and the fox was accounted for [killed]..." (From a report on Westmeath's Brosna Foxhounds hunt - Hounds Magazine, June 2007) "Some good work by the terrier-men soon had a fox on the move and a fast hunt of 45 minutes took place. The fox was marked to ground and left, but another was soon afoot. After a long hunt this fox was accounted for [killed]..." (From a report on Limerick's Fedamore Harriers hunt - Hounds Magazine, June 2007) "A brace of foxes was on the move and the hounds had to work hard to keep in touch, due to the ghastly weather. They stuck to their task and after 90 minutes, they caught their fox..." (From a report on Tipperary's Suir Vale Harriers hunt - Hounds Magazine, June 2007) "Hounds disturbed another fox who ran in the direction of the Slaney River and then proceeded along the centre of the railway line with the full pack in pursuit. As a train came in his direction he skipped right and went to ground beside the line. Thankfully all the hounds were safely accounted for." (from a report on the Bree Foxhounds, Irish Field, February 4th, 2006) "Nowadays, Florrie [a former foxhunt master] feels that because artificial fertilizer is being used in such large quantities, scent is more difficult for hounds to keep a line and accounts for many of the short runs that many packs are experiencing compared with the old days." (Irish Field, November 25, 2006) [Fertiliser on farmland - another good reason for animal hunts to change to drag hunting in which the pack of hounds follow an artificially laid scent. A sufficiently strong scent can be dragged across the countryside shortly before the start of the hunt, thus ensuring that hounds and riders have an uninterrupted run] "At the market [Fine Gael leader, Enda Kenny] was challenged by a young man, Shane Kiely, who demanded: 'Why won't you ban blood sports? I can't vote for you because you won't ban them.'" (The Irish Times, May 7, 2007) "In an interview with this newspaper published on May 16, Cllr. Lorcan Allen, a keen foxhunter, hit out at Green Party proposals to ban blood sports. In doing so he called on hunting fans not to vote for any party going into government with the Greens." (Gorey Guardian, June 28 2007) "Over 120 hunt followers recently returned after a 27 year gap to a meet in the centre of Cashel town, to the hospitality of Pat Murphy, the proprietor of the Cashel Palace Hotel." (Irish Field, January 13, 2007) "With one horses already on the way back to the meet after cutting a hind leg, it was clear that there had been some serious jumping involved." (Irish Field, February 3rd, 2007) "They had killed a fox and sent the field home happy." (from a report on the Limerick Harriers hunt, Irish Field, February 3rd, 2007) "Joint master David Lalor runs this pack with a smile but does admit that he worries about the lack of foxes in large parts of the country. Shooting interests and much lamping are no help in the management of the fox population because it is always the best foxes that leave the covert early and they are the first to be shot, leaving the cowardly ones skulking well out of the way." (From a report on the Laois Foxhounds, Irish Field, January 20th, 2007) "The hideous and satanic practice of bull fighting is an uncivilised shame and disgrace to all who participate in it and support it. How any nation or group or person could think themselves evolved and sophisticated, yet to behave in such a primitive and thoughtless way to another living being, is self-deceived. God created the bull, as He did all animals, and He loves them. To disgrace the bull is to dishonour God!" (Sevi Regis, July 2007. Sevi is the author of "Until We Meet Again - God's Eternal Plan for His Animals" ISBN: 0-9753980-0-8) "Throughout history, foxes have been hunted by man, but because he is an intelligent and cunning animal, he has been able to survive all types of nasty things man and nature have thrown against him...Whatever our opinion is, they do a very important job of controlling the numbers of pests that also share our environment such as rats and mice." (Enfo Children's Newsletter, October 2005)
Ban Blood Sports in Ireland in 2007
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Serbia Suffering
Gormley's hare-raising hypocrisy
How ironic that a Government department entrusted to safeguard the welfare of the Irish hare species has given the go-ahead to yet another season of coursing. The licence issued allows the forceful removal from the Irish countryside of thousands of hares. It's a cold-hearted netting assault that marks the beginning of a long ordeal for this most timid of our native creatures. "It is impossible to completely avoid stress in hares once you manhandle them and take them out of their natural environment," a vet attached to the Irish Coursing Club is on record as admitting. "Stress can come in many shapes and forms and as long as you have the hare in captivity, he is prone to it -- resulting in his disability and even death at times. I believe a lot of damage can be done to hares by rough handling and netting." The Department of the Environment's licence not only steamrolls over this, but also over the sickening evidence of hare suffering recorded by its own National Parks and Wildlife Service division. Wildlife rangers have been logging the horrors of coursing for years and copies of their reports, obtained by the Irish Council Against Blood Sports, explicitly convey the cruelty. It is this succession of abuses that underlines why a majority want the Government to reconsider its facilitation of coursing. We ask them to continue calling on Minister John Gormley (minister@environ.ie) to spare the hare the cruelty of coursing and end this despicable blood sport.
Unholy origins of the hunt for stags and foxes
Western Europe took many of its ideas and culture from the old Roman empire, which brought about the greatest development in the use of hunting as an amusement or what is now claimed as 'sport'. "There is much in religion which belongs not to the Catholic tradition, but to the native or barbaric element that underlies medieval culture", observed one historian, referring to the church's connection to this cruelty. The historian Henry Hallam outlined how it became impossible to repress the eagerness with which the clergy rushed into these amusements after the barbarians, tempted by the rich bishoprics, decided to take upon themselves the sacred functions. Prohibitions of synods and councils, he wrote, had little effect. Those false shepherds said Mass with their spurs on, their hunting daggers in their belts and their horses saddled and ready outside the church. Thus began the grafting of bloodsports onto the Christian religion. With the ascent of the Borgias and Medicis to Peter's chair, such grafting got to the top. To entertain Pope Leo X (Medici), bulls were fought in the piazza of St Peter's itself. He kept 16 horses and a pack of 35 couples of hounds. Those caught trespassing on his 10 square miles of game reserve had their hands and feet cut off, their houses burned, their children sold as slaves. By Nero's order, Christians were sewn into animal skins before being torn to bits by dogs. In 1537, the then 'bishop' of Salzburg had a peasant sewn into the skin of a stag before setting his pack of hounds on the man who, it is said, was wrongfully blamed for killing the stag, thereby depriving the bishop of his pleasure. Is it surprising that the church lost credibility? The seminary at Maynooth was founded and funded by the British to provide the crown with a succession of dog-collared quislings. Not alone did staff and students swear allegiance to the Crown, but good horses were provided on which deans and professors keenly rode to hounds. With this church backing, it's not surprising that carted staghunting and foxhunting have only relatively recently met serious opposition.
Born to be wild: free 'performing' circus animals
I can't understand why travelling circuses feel the need to have wild animals such as tigers forced to 'perform' for audiences. This is wanton cruelty and one must wonder why it hasn't been outlawed long ago. Also, what kind of example does it send to young children who should be learning to treat all animals with the love they deserve? If all animal lovers banded together and condemned this barbarity, then maybe it would dawn on the circus-owners that good fun can be provided without making poor animals prance around in front of a ringmaster.
Ban this cruel stag hunting
This month, the Department of the Environment will decide whether to yet again grant a licence to the country's only carted stag hunt. The "sport" involves the pursuit with hounds of a farmed or domesticated stag that is released from a horse cart for the chase. Mounted hunters and sightseers follow the horses and hounds in land rovers. The hunt chases the animal across country for an hour or two until it collapses from exhaustion. In the course of being chased, the stag is severely injured, getting tangled up in barbed wire, thorn bushes and brambles along the way. Some hunted stags have dropped dead from heart attacks. Others have drowned in rivers into which they were hounded. Others again have been beaten half to death with sticks for failing to run. The deer used are bred in captivity and therefore cannot be classified as wild creatures. The Protection of Animals Acts 1911 and 1965 prohibit the hunting or baiting of domestic animals or farm livestock, and there is a widespread belief in legal, environmental, and animal welfare circles that carted stag hunting is in breach of this legislation. The only other comparable hunt on this island, in County Down, was banned for using farmed or domesticated deer contrary to Northern Ireland's animal protection law, which is very similar to the Republic's. A few months ago, RTE's Liveline radio show was inundated with calls about a stag hunt that rampaged through a schoolyard, scattering terrified children in all directions. Pupils who saw the helpless stag; bloodied and with its tongue hanging out, were traumatised by the spectacle. We hope the Department of the Environment will heed the explicit, well-documented and compelling evidence against carted stag hunting. There is simply no need or justification for the practice. Cruelty aside, it has no conservation or pest control value whatsoever. So let's protect our majestic stags and safeguard a precious part of our wildlife heritage.
Bullfighting and betting
SIR - Paddy Power's foray into the vile world of bullfighting must represent one of the most gruesome and distasteful money making schemes ever concocted by an Irish company. Visitors to its Spanish website are currently being invited to guess the number of ears hacked off the heads of tortured bulls. The severed ears are presented to matadors as grisly trophies. While the punters are considering their options, another bull is wracked with pain as spikes are driven into its back muscles. Twenty minutes of unimaginable agony culminate with the matador plunging a sword between the bull's shoulder blades, sending it toppling into a pool of blood. What happens next will determine if a few euros are added to Paddy Power's Eur58 million profits. Sickening footage has been presented to company management which explicitly exposes what their bets are based on. A bull - paralysed but still conscious - blinks slowly and weakly inhales as a bullfighter reaches down to its head. Pulling an ear taut, he roughly carves it off with a dagger (www.youtube.com/icabs). The Irish Council Against Blood Sports is calling on members of the public to join us in our appeal to Paddy Power Plc to "put compassion before cash and scrap the bullring bets." Tune in to the ICABS Channel Footage of blood sport cruelty and the humane alternatives can now be viewed on the ICABS Channel on Youtube - www.youtube.com/icabs Become a supporter of ICABS Please become a supporter of ICABS. Annual rates are just 15 Euro (Individual), 20 Euro (Family) and 8 Euro (Unwaged). Download a subscription form at www.banbloodsports.com/subsform.htm and send a cheque (made payable to the Irish Council Against Blood Sports) to ICABS, PO Box 88, Mullingar, Co Westmeath, Ireland. You can also become a supporter or make a donation by using your paypal account or credit card. Please visit www.banbloodsports.com and click on the "Donate" button. Thank you. Your support will allow us to continue campaigning against blood sport cruelty in Ireland.
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