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Animal Voice - May 2008
Campaign newsletter of the Irish Council Against Blood Sports In This Issue:
01. Calling all animal welfare groups - Submissions invited for new Animal Welfare Bill
Anti-Bullfighting News
01. Calling all animal welfare groups - Submissions invited for new Animal Welfare Bill A new animal-related bill is currently being drafted in the Department of Agriculture and submissions are being invited from interested individuals and groups. Please see below for the statement issued by Agriculture Minister, Brendan Smith TD and download the submission guidelines from: http://www.agriculture.gov.ie/animal_health/AHWBill_PublicConsultationPaper280508.doc Please take this opportunity to highlight all of your animal welfare concerns. In your submission, stress the need for ALL Irish animals to be afforded protection from cruelty and a major increase in penalties for those involved in animal cruelty. Written submissions should be made no later than Friday 11th July 2008 and should be emailed to AHWBill@agriculture.gov.ie and/or posted to to:
Mr Peter Fallon
Minister publishes consultation paper on draft animal health & welfare bill
The Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Mr Brendan Smith TD, today published a consultation paper on a new draft Animal Health & Welfare Bill. Minister Smith described the consultation process as "offering stakeholders and other interested parties a unique opportunity to contribute to the preparation of a modern and comprehensive Bill that will be fit-for-purpose in the 21st century." Mr Smith said that considerable work had already been done within his Department in identifying outdated legislation that now needed to be repealed as well as other legislative provisions that ought to be updated and consolidated into a single, accessible and convenient statute. The Minister said that the new legislation would be "of great value to those involved with animals, whether they are farmers or pet owners, veterinary practitioners or others with an interest or involvement in the health and welfare of animals." Minister Smith said that the publication of this paper was a significant step in the delivery of commitments in the Programme for Government to introduce a new Animal Health Bill, to consolidate and amend previous legislation to reflect the changed disease status of our nation's animals, as well as a comprehensive Animal Welfare Bill, updating existing legislation, to ensure that the welfare of animals is properly protected and that the penalties for offenders are increased significantly. Mr Smith said that he hoped that all those interested would avail of the six-week period to make their submissions and assured all those making submissions that full account will be taken of them in finalising the drafting of the Bill later in the year. In addition, the Minister confirmed that officials of his Department would be consulting with some or all of those who make submissions to provide a further opportunity to pursue some of the suggestions or proposals made. 02. Paddy Power urged to "Stop Barbaric Bets" The Irish Council Against Blood Sports has launched a new campaign postcard aimed at convincing Paddy Power to "Stop Barbaric Bets". Visitors to the betting company's Spanish website are currently being invited to bet on the number of ears hacked off the heads of bulls that have been tortured in bullrings. Please contact us now to receive postcards for yourself and your friends to send in to the company's head office. On the "Toros" page of the site, heartless punters are given the opportunity to guess the "Nš total de orejas cortadas en la corrida" ("Total number of ears cut in the bullfight") In a letter of appeal to Paddy Power, ICABS stated: "We find it absolutely grotesque and in the poorest of taste the Paddy Power company's acceptance of such bets. As people are placing bets on the Paddy Power website, tortured bulls are stumbling around the bullrings with blood spurting from their backs and spraying from their noses and mouths. How can your company justify making money from this disgusting animal abuse?" Bullfighting is one of the world's worst blood sports and is cruel from beginning to end. Each bullfight involves the slow torture to death of six or more bulls. Horseback riders firstly weaken the bull by stabbing its body with sharp lances. To force it to drop its head, hooked spears are then driven into its neck muscles. The cruelty culminates with a stabbing through the heart with a sword. Ears are cut from the bulls as grisly trophies for the matadors. The animals will have suffered enormously in the bullring and, if they are still conscious when the ear is cut off, their agony will be even greater. The Paddy Power company has been made fully aware of the violent horrors of bullfighting. A video sent to their head office shows a bleeding and injured bull - still conscious - lying paralysed on the ground as a bullfighter uses a dagger to carve off one of its ears. ACTION ALERT Please register your disgust at Paddy Power's barbaric bets. Order some "Stop Barbaric Bets" campaign postcards for yourself and your friends to send in to Paddy Power's head office in Dublin. If you run an animal welfare group, please distribute postcards to your supporters and ask them to urgently send them. To order cards, please email your name and address to info@banbloodsports.com or write to ICABS, PO Box 88, Mullingar, Co Westmeath. We would be grateful if you could include a 55c stamp with your order (for every 15 cards requested) to cover postage costs. ACTION ALERT 1 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 and post it on your website and social networking pages.
Patrick Kennedy
Email: ppower@paddypower.com; info@paddypowerplc.com
SAMPLE LETTER
Dear Mr Kennedy, I am writing to express my absolute disgust that Paddy Power is accepting bets on the number of ears carved off the heads of bulls at Spanish bullfighting events. Removed after the tortured bulls collapse in agony, the ears are kept by the matadors as grisly trophies. Sometimes the animals are still alive when the ears are hacked off and this can be seen in video footage at www.youtube.com/icabs As bets are being placed on the Paddy Power website, bulls are stumbling around bullrings with blood spurting from their backs and spraying from their noses and mouths. How can your company justify making money from this disgusting animal abuse? Paddy Power - Stop the bloody bullring bets NOW! Yours sincerely, Name/Location ACTION ALERT 2 Lodge a protest with your local Paddy Power shop. Show your opposition to Paddy Power's appalling Spanish bullring bets by downloading a copy our new Protest Page. Simply print, sign and present to the manager of your local Paddy Power betting shop. Alternatively, place in an envelope and post to the manager.
Download Now
For the names and addresses of Paddy Power shops, visit the company's website
Campaign Video: Paddy Power Plc - Stop the bloody bullring bets
You can watch our campaign video at
03. Status of Irish hares is "poor": Latest report The overall conservation status of the Irish Hare is "poor" according to the "Status of EU Protected Habitats and Species in Ireland" report. Issued this week by the Department of the Environment, it states that "factors likely to reduce hare numbers locally include loss of refuge areas, change from grassland to silage growing, increased urbanisation and hunting." The report confirms that the "Main pressures" and "Threats" to the hare include "trapping, poisoning, poaching" and concludes that the overall assesment of the hare is "unfavourable" and "inadequate".
You can download the full report from:
You can download the report's Annex from:
In the "Background to the conservation assessment", we are told that "local factors likely to negatively influence hare numbers include loss of refuge areas for daytime shelter, such as hedgerows and rushy areas; changes in farming practices, such as the conversion of semi-natural grassland to ryegrass (Lolium spp.) dominated pasture or marginal land to forestry; increased urbanisation; hunting." Referring to coursing, it adds: "During the coursing season (September to February), 6-7,000 hares are taken from the wild (under license), and run at coursing meetings. They are then returned to their place of capture. Re-release data suggests approximately 90% of hares are returned to the wild after coursing. However, further research is required to establish the reproductive viability of these hares post-coursing and the impact on local population demographics of hare removal and return." ICABS has continually stressed to the Environment Department that the welfare of hares is severely compromised once they are snatched from their habitats by coursers and that their chances of survival diminish as a result of human handling and being terrorised by greyhounds. For many years now, we have been calling on successive Environment Ministers not to issue licences for the capturing of thousands of hares for use as live lures and for all hare hunting, beagling and harrying to be outlawed. The alarm bells have been ringing for a number of years for the Irish Hare and this report is another wake-up call for those charged with the responsibility of conserving our wildlife. It's time now for Minister Gormley to move swiftly to ensure the survival of our hares by protecting then from all hunting and coursing. ACTION ALERT Please urgently contact Environment Minister, John Gormley, and appeal to him to prohibit all forms of hare persecution, including hare hunting and hare coursing.
SAMPLE LETTER
Minister John Gormley
Email: minister@environ.ie
Dear Minister Gormley, The conservation status of the Irish Hare has been described as "poor" in the recently published "Report on Status of Habitats and Species in Ireland". This is cause for enormous concern to myself and the majority of Irish people who value the hare as an important part of our precious heritage. Minister, as you are no doubt aware, most people in this country want the hare to be allowed to live free from persecution by coursing and hare hunting clubs. We oppose the cruelty inherent in these outdated activities but also the threat they pose to regional hare populations and the species as a whole. In coursing, hares continue to die at all stages - during the capture, during the time they are kept in captivity, during the coursing meetings and also subsequent to their release back to the wild. Such deaths have been documented by your NPWS division. These timid and fragile creatures die as a result of phyical injuries or from the stress caused by human handling and being chased by greyhounds. I implore you to act on the wishes of the electorate, and on the findings of this latest report, and immediately ban coursing and hare hunting. Thank you, Minister. Yours sincerely, Name/Location 04. Act now to save precious wildlife
Letter to the Editor - Irish Independent, May 26, 2008
Last week, a report issued by Environment Minister John Gormley revealed shocking and stark news about the state of our wildlife and their habitats, with some species being described as being on the brink of extinction, while the status of others - including Ireland's hares and otters - is "poor". The Irish hare is designated as a highly protected species under the 1976 Wildlife Act. Yet it is persecuted, legally, by hare hunters, including harrier and beagle packs, while hare coursers are permitted to snatch, under licence from the Minister of the Environment, up to 7,000 hares from the wild, annually, for use as live lures at coursing meetings. Meanwhile, illegal hare hunters with lurchers and greyhounds routinely trespass on farmlands, hunting hares with impunity, while an under-staffed and under-resourced ranger service endeavours to enforce the Wildlife Act. In the case of the otter, it took a directive from Europe to stop its persecution by hunters with hounds up and down Munster riverbanks, but the danger still remains from the hunters who, since the ban, have switched to mink hunting along those same riverbanks, thereby creating huge disturbance for otters. We strongly suspect they continue to hunt otters under the guise of hunting mink. For many years now, the Irish Council Against Blood Sports has been calling on successive ministers for the environment to stop issuing hare-netting licences, and for harrying and beagling to be outlawed, all to no avail, while our neighbours in Ulster have adopted the precautionary principle and have suspended all hare hunting and coursing. As for the badger, it continues to be cruelly snared and shot in its thousands by the Department of Agriculture, as part of the long-running TB debacle, while the Minister for the Environment, who is responsible for its conservation, is told to butt out! Will we have to wait for that slap on the wrist from Europe to protect our wildlife? Hopefully, Mr Gormley will take the initiative now and move to give our precious wildlife the protection it so desperately needs. 05. Hares have decreased in recent years: NPWS The National Parks and Wildlife Service have confirmed on their website that the number of hares in Ireland has "decreased in recent years". Please urgently join us in our call to Environment Minister, John Gormley, to ban all forms or hare hunting and coursing to help secure a healthy future for this vulnerable species. Please see below for the full article on the hare from the NPWS site.
Irish Hare
The Irish Mountain Hare has inhabited this island for many thousands of years. The bones of an animal found in Co. Waterford are over 28,000 years old. The Irish mountain hare is recognized as a unique subspecies. It does not turn white in winter like other European populations, and in Ireland it inhabits lowland habitats. The mountain hare has long ears, slightly shorter than the length of its head, and long hind feet. Its coat is usually reddish brown in summer but changes to grey-brown in the winter months. The top of the tail is usually pale to white. The Irish hare is found in every county but numbers have decreased in recent years. It lives in open areas on uplands, farmland and grassland. It is usually nocturnal but is sometimes active during daylight in spring and summer. Hares rest above ground in shallow depressions called 'forms', and in some areas will dig shallow burrows. They are usually solitary animals, but sometimes gather in large numbers to feed. Irish hares eat many different plants, including heather, herbs, gorse, plantain, dandelions and grasses. Like rabbits, hares ingest some of their droppings, passing food through their stomachs twice (known as 'refection') so they obtain the most nutrients from their food. Breeding usually occurs between January and September. There are often squabbles at this time and males kick and box and chase each other, hence the phrase "as mad as a March hare". Breeding females usually have two or three litters each year, and there are one to four leverets in each litter. Leverets are born fully furred and have their eyes open, and are weaned at three weeks. Only about one-fifth of young hares survive their first year. ACTION ALERT Please urgently contact Environment Minister, John Gormley, and appeal to him to prohibit all forms of hare persecution, including hare hunting and hare coursing.
SAMPLE LETTER
Minister John Gormley
Email: minister@environ.ie
Dear Minister Gormley, The conservation status of the Irish Hare has been described as "poor" in the recently published "Report on Status of Habitats and Species in Ireland". Furthermore, the NPWS division of your department has confirmed on its website that "numbers have decreased in recent years". This is cause for enormous concern to myself and the majority of Irish people who value the hare as an important part of our precious heritage. Minister, as you are no doubt aware, most people in this country want the hare to be allowed to live free from persecution by coursing and hare hunting clubs. We oppose the cruelty inherent in these outdated activities but also the threat they pose to regional hare populations and the species as a whole. In coursing, hares continue to die at all stages - during the capture, during the time they are kept in captivity, during the coursing meetings and also subsequent to their release back to the wild. Such deaths have been documented by the NPWS. These timid and fragile creatures die as a result of phyical injuries or from the stress caused by human handling and being chased by greyhounds. I implore you to act on the wishes of the electorate, and on the stark findings of the habitats and species report, and immediately ban coursing and hare hunting. Thank you, Minister. Yours sincerely, Name/Location 06 Beaglers told to assume end to season extensions Beaglers have been told to assume that in the future, there will be no further extensions to their hunt season. This very much welcomed development was revealed in a letter from Environment Minister, John Gormley's office. ICABS has renewed its appeal to the Minister to fully protect the Irish Hare by implementing a total ban on all forms of hunting and coursing. In previous years, beaglers have been allowed to stretch their hare persecution into the month of March but, as reported previously, Minister Gormley this year turned down the latest application from the Irish Masters of Beagles Association. "The Department, in granting the licence for 2007, advised the Association that for conservation reasons licenses to permit the hunting of hares with beagles beyond the general open season for the species may not, in future years be granted, as this impinged on the breeding season of the hares," the correspondence from the Minister's office outlines. "It was also stated that in planning the calendar for future years the Association should work on the assumption that all beagling events should be scheduled within the standard open season for hares which finishes at the end of February." The Department says that its decision was reached "following discussions with the relevant regional, administrative and scientific staff of the National Parks and Wildlife Service". Officials took into account the results of the recently completed National Hare Survey which makes it clear that hare numbers can fluctuate dramatically from year to year. "Where hunting is allowed to extend into the breeding season, and this coincides with periods of low population, local extinctions can be expected," the letter concludes. "This is incompatible with Ireland's responsibilities under Irish and EU Wildlife legislation." In March, the Irish Council Against Blood Sports welcomed the Minister's decision to refuse the month-long extension. We are delighted to learn that this ban now appears to be permanent. We are redoubling our efforts to secure total protection for the hare, one of Ireland's most fragile creatures. Up to the end of February, hunters are free to terrorise and kill hares with packs of beagles (with no licence being required) despite the fact that hares are designated a protected species. There are 129 harrier packs, which hunt both hares and foxes, while there are 22 registered beagle packs hunting hares. Hare hunting on foot with packs of dogs is a low profile blood sport, with enthusiasts claiming that what they do is "harmless", but hares do die horrendous deaths by being ripped apart by packs of dogs, after being terrorised and chased to exhaustion. A report on the Westmeath Beagles in Hounds magazine in 2006 revealed that having taken an "hour to shift her (the hare) out towards the rushy field at the foot of the medieval church...she succumbed to the pack," gaining the hunters their "first notch on the kennel door" for the season. A Dublin motorist who witnessed a hare kill described the sickening scene as follows: "A hare came running down the road. I didn't realise what was happening for a moment until a pack of hounds appeared from round the corner. I got out of the car to try and do something but the hounds had caught up with the hare and totally demolished it. All that was left was a tiny piece of fur blowing in the breeze." The Irish Council Against Blood Sports is calling for a year-round ban on this cruel abuse of Ireland's most gentle and defenceless wild creature. ACTION ALERT Please contact Environment Minister, John Gormley (Green Party), to thank him for his decision to refuse a hare hunting licence for March. Appeal to him to urgently work towards securing full protection for hares by banning hare hunting and hare coursing.
SAMPLE LETTER
Minister John Gormley
Email: minister@environ.ie
Dear Minister Gormley, I wish to thank you for refusing a licence for hare hunting during March. This commendable move will go some way towards protecting our precious and unique hare species from persecution. Minister, as you are aware, hares continue to be cruelly abused at other times of the year by groups involved in hare coursing and hare hunting. This despite the fact that the Irish Hare is a protected species and an important part of our wildlife heritage. Your decision to refuse the March licence is very much welcomed by the majority who want hunting and coursing banned. We all hope that this will prove to be just the first step towards affording hares the full protection they deserve. Thank you, Minister. Yours sincerely, Name/Location 07. Coursers pass on Minister Gormley's season extension Limerick Coursing Club has thanked Minister Gormley for giving them permission to terrorise hares outside the period specified on their licence. "The Minister has this week granted to Co. Limerick Coursing Club, a licence to course on the 29th Feb, 1st March and 2nd March 2008," the coursers declared on the ICC website. "The club are very grateful to the Minister for this licence." However, the club decided to pass on this accommodating arrangement and held their meeting on earlier dates. "As preparations are now at an advanced stage, the Co Limerick Coursing Club have decided to proceed with the staging of the Irish Cup meeting on the advertised dates, i.e Fri 22nd, Sat 23rd and Sun 24th February 2008." The Irish Cup was the final meeting of the year. Please join our call to Minister Gormley to stop licensing coursing. Remind the Minister that a majority of Irish people want the blood sport banned. Scroll down now to see our "Ban Coursing Action Alerts" 08 Subscribe to the ICABS RSS feed / Display on your site Stay right up to date on Irish Council Against Blood Sports campaign activities and action alerts by subscribing to our new RSS Feed. Add http://banbloodsports.wordpress.com/feed to your news reader and be among the first to receive the latest ICABS news headlines. This exciting development will bring our campaign to an even wider audience and help further expose the cruelty of blood sports in Ireland. Please display the ICABS RSS feed on your website and help bring our latest news and action alerts to a wider audience! Simply copy the code below into your web page. If you wish to display the feeder on MySpace, Facebook, Blogger, etc click on the "Options" button on the feeder and choose the relevant option. Alternatively, upon request, we will email you the relevant code. Thank you.
09 Heritage Council gives grant to gun club for 2nd year ICABS has learned that the Heritage Council - a body whose functions include promoting interest and pride in Irish wildlife - has awarded a grant to a gun club for the second year running. Glenfarne Gun Club was given Euro 5,512 by the Heritage Council as part of its Biodiversity Grants scheme for 2008. Last year, Glenfarne Gun Club received Euro 4,000 under the Council's Wildlife Grant scheme. According to their website, the money was to fund a "red grouse conservation & habitat management plan". Last year's grant was challenged by ICABS Vice President, Tony Gregory, TD. In a Dail Question to Environment Minister John Gormley, Deputy Gregory questioned the appropriateness of giving a grant to a gun club. Although the Minister outlined that he is not responsible for choosing grant recipients, he confirmed that the Council's function is to "propose policies and priorities for the...protection, preservation and enhancement of the national heritage." The Heritage Council is an independent body but is funded by taxpayers' money from the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government. In 2006, following representations from ICABS to the Heritage Council (relating to a massive grant for the eradication of rabbits from an island), we were led to believe that in the future, the Heritage Council would consider avoiding projects with connections to animal killing. A Heritage Council spokesperson stated at the time: "The Heritage Council will address this more seriously in the grant programme from here on out. I would hope that for the 2007 round of grant awards, policy advice in this area will have been developed and issued from the Heritage Council where necessary." ICABS has renewed its appeal to the Heritage Council to give a commitment that no further funds will be awarded to groups involved in the killing of Irish wildlife. Please help by responding to the action alert below. Glenfarne Gun Club also received an 800 Euro grant under the Sports Capital Programme 2007. Quoted in the Leitrim Observer of 30 May 2007, Minister for Community, Rural, and Gaeltacht Affairs, Eamon O Cuiv, stated: "Raising funds is always an onerous task and those who give of their time to work for the benefit of others are to be commended. These CLAR top-ups will help those who are trying to improve life in their own communities." ACTION ALERT Please contact the Heritage Council and ask them to exclude from its grant schemes any group connected with killing animals.
Cliona O'Brien,
Email: cliona@heritagecouncil.com
Please contact Environment Minister, John Gormley, and ask him to make it a condition of Heritage Council funding that their grant schemes exclude groups connected to killing wildlife.
Minister John Gormley
Email: minister@environ.ie
10. Slideshow exposes victims of Dept's cruel badger snaring An ICABS slideshow displaying images of badgers caught and cruelly killed in Department of Agriculture snares is now available to view online. Tens of thousands of badgers have already been snared by the Department in what has been slammed as "slaughter masquerading as science". View the presentation at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMHFoPaeHo8 URGENT ACTION ALERTS Please appeal to Minister Mary Coughlan to show compassion and suspend the cruel badger snaring operation. Remind her that the badger is a protected species in Ireland and that the Protection of Animals Act, for which she is responsible, makes it an offence to cause unnecessary suffering to an animal. Tell her that a recent report stated that "badger culling apparently has the capacity to increase badger-to-badger transmission of infection, potentially undermining anticipated reductions in badger-to-cattle transmission."
Minister Mary Coughlan
Please write to the Minister for the Environment and the National Parks and Wildlife Service. Remind them that the Wildlife Act, for which they are responsible, lists the badger as a protected species. Demand that they stop licensing the snaring and killing of thousands of badgers as part of a cruel and discredited TB eradication scheme.
Minister John Gormley
Email: minister@environ.ie
Dr. Ciaran O'Keeffe
11. Minister still entitled to refuse future Ward Union licence Environment Minister John Gormely has clarified that the settlement he reached with the Ward Union last month does not prevent him from refusing a licence to the controversial hunt next season. The Minister was responding to a Dail question from ICABS vice-president, Tony Gregory, TD. The full text of the question and answer follows: Question 193 - Answered on 1st May, 2008 Tony Gregory: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the full details of his out of court settlement with a group (details supplied); the conditions by which a licence may be granted for carted deer hunting; and if he will make a statement on the matter. Written reply. Ref No: 17026/08 Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government (Mr. Gormley): This settlement with the Ward Union Hunt Club provides that I, as Minister, am entitled, under the Wildlife Act 1976 (as amended), to grant or refuse any application to hunt, while confirming that certain conditions included in the licence issued in December 2007 will not be re-imposed. I will supply a copy of the settlement to the Deputy and I am happy to brief him further if requested. For more animal-related Dail Questions and Answers, please visit our Politicians Page 12. Illegality of deer hunt highlighted on Today FM ICABS Campaign Director, Aideen Yourell, has highlighted the illegality of the Ward Union hunt on Today FM. In an interview with Matt Cooper on Monday's The Last Word show, she stressed that the deer terrorised by the hunt are domestic animals and therefore protected under the Protection of Animals Act. (Today FM, The Last Word, April 28th, 2008) The Irish Council Against Blood Sports has always contended that this hunt is illegal and should never have been licensed under the Wildlife Act, because the deer hunted by the Ward Union are farmed deer, not wild animals, and therefore not subject to the Wildlife Act. This contention has been borne out in a legal opinion which concludes that the Ward Union hunt is "illegal" under the 1911 Protection of Animals Act, and that it shouldn't be licensed under the 1976 Wildlife Act -see Hunt is illegal, say eminent legal experts Please join our urgent appeal to Minister Gormley. At the end of a hunt, one of the Ward Union hunt's "deer handlers" prevents an exhausted and injured deer from escaping by grabbing hold of its mouth and ear. Another handler attempts to hide the head injury by holding his hand over it. URGENT ACTION ALERT Urgently contact Environment Minister, John Gormley, and appeal to him to refuse any further licence to the Ward Union.
SAMPLE LETTER
Minister John Gormley
Email: minister@environ.ie
Dear Minister Gormley, I am writing to urge you to please refuse any further licence to the Ward Union hunt. As you are aware, the captive-bred, domesticated deer used by the hunt are protected animals under the Protection of Animals Act and may not be legally hounded by hunters. It is contrary to existing legislation to licence the activities of this hunt. As a Green Party Minister opposed to blood sports, I trust that you will do everything in your power to prevent the Ward Union from resuming their terrorisation of deer. Thank you. I look forward to your positive response. Yours sincerely, [Name/Location] 13. Renewed Appeal: Hotel asked to disassociate from coursing The manager of the Clonmel Park Hotel in County Tipperary has been asked by ICABS to disassociate from a cruel blood sport. In an advert placed in the events booklet for this year's coursing finals, the hotel extended a "welcome to all visitors to the national coursing meeting". The advert also highlighted that the hotel is "just 5 minutes drive from the coursing grounds" and that a coursing video was to be shown nightly at the hotel. Asking manager, Michael Boyle, to give a commitment that the hotel would disassociate from coursing and ensure that no further ads are placed in coursing publications, ICABS stressed that "a majority of Irish people (and many millions around the world) are opposed to this horrendous blood sport". Please join us in our appeal to the Clonmel Park Hotel by taking part in our action alert below. ACTION ALERT Appeal to the Clonmel Park Hotel to give a commitment that no further adverts will be placed in coursing publications and that coursing videos will not be shown at the hotel again.
SAMPLE LETTER
Michael Boyle
Email: michaelboyle@clonmelparkhotel.com
Dear Mr Boyle, I am contacting you to register my disappointment at your hotel's association with the Clonmel coursing finals 2008. It is incredible that a modern hotel like the Clonmel Park would wish to associate with a cruel blood sport that a majority of Irish people wish to see being made illegal. As you may be aware, hares are snatched from their habitats, kept in captivity for months and forced to run for their lives in front of greyhounds. They suffer fear, stress and injuries such as broken bones. Hares continue to die painful deaths in this horrendous activity. Please show compassion for Ireland's persecuted hare species by announcing that the Clonmel Park Hotel will never again advertise in coursing publications or allow coursing videos to be shown at your venue. Thank you. I look forward to receiving your reply. Yours sincerely, [Name/Location] Question 542 - Answered on 13th May, 2008 Tony Gregory: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government further to Parliamentary Question No. 193 of 1 May 2008, if it was part of the settlement that a licence to hunt deer will be granted to a hunt (details supplied) for the 2008/2009 season. Written reply. Ref No:18676/08 Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government (Mr. Gormley): I can assure the Deputy that this is not the case. The agreed settlement confirms that I, as Minister, will determine any future application for a licence in accordance with the relevant statutory provisions, and reserves my entitlement to grant or refuse any such application for a licence for a future season with the proviso that certain conditions included in the licence issued in December 2007 will not be re-imposed. Question 553 - Answered on 13th May, 2008 Tony Gregory:To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he will investigate complaints that illegal glue traps are on display for sale at a premises (details supplied) in Dublin 9; and if appropriate action will be taken. Written reply. Ref No: 19284/08 Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government (Mr. Gormley): I have requested my Department's National Parks and Wildlife Service to investigate this matter and I will inform the Deputy of the outcome. Question 586 - Answered on 7th May, 2008 Tony Gregory: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the number of licences he has issued for the snaring of badgers; his views on this control method of the badger population in view of the cruelty involved; if he will liase with the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to develop a more humane approach; and if he will make a statement on the matter. Written reply. Ref No: 17618/08 Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government (Mr. Gormley): My Department annually issues thirty licences to the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (one for each District Veterinary Office) to take badgers for the purpose of carrying out necessary research into bovine Tuberculosis in cattle and badgers. Bovine Tuberculosis has serious implications for both human and animal health in Ireland. I understand that the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food is funding research on the development of a bait based vaccination against TB for badgers. I would be hopeful that should a programme of effective vaccination become available, the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food will no longer consider it necessary to snare badgers Do you have video footage of Irish hunts engaging in acts of cruelty, e.g. foxes, hares, deer or mink running from hounds, hounds attacking animals, the digging out of foxes? If so, ICABS wants to hear from you now. All calls will be treated as confidential. If you have positive video footage of foxes or other wildlife living free in the wild, we would also be delighted to hear from you. With your permission, we will add your footage to our "Nature in Ireland" playlist at http://ie.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=730D7AA7517ED712
Ban Blood Sports in Ireland
Stop Terrierwork and digging out (French petition)
Translocate Kangaroos - don't kill them
Whales Revenge International Petition
Stop Dog Abuse
Petition against animal testing
Ban the export of greyhounds from Australia to Asia where they suffer appalling cruelty and death.
Boycott to the presence of Guillermo Vargas "Habacuc" at the Bienal Centroamericana Honduras 2008
In April, the Irish Times' "Head to Head" page asked if zoos should be closed. Both sides of the Irish Times zoo debate are available to read at: http://www.ireland.com/head2head/archive/2008/0421 or read on for the arguments in favour of closing zoos.
Should zoos be closed? YES
Bernie Wright says zoos will always be prisons for animals wrenched from their natural habitat for our entertainment . A zoo is simply a collection of animals. It makes money by attracting paying visitors. The quality of life for the animals varies from totally inadequate to barely adequate. Three thousand years ago, when zoos were started in the Middle East, animals were merely objects of curiosity from faraway places. Trapped from the wild, sometimes with parent animals being killed (young animals being easier to train and manage), many of them died on their long and horrific journeys to other continents and climates. These animals were treated as prized public attractions or captive slaves. They experienced fear, hardship, an alien environment, barren enclosures, and their mental and physical needs were ignored. In 2008, Dublin Zoo sits on roughly 60 acres. It boasts such habitats as African plains, fringes of the Arctic, rainforests, the Kaziranga forest trail and shops and restaurants. All of this and 600 animals as well, ranging from tigers, elephants, and chimps to red pandas. Even with limited mathematical skills, 100 animals per acre hardly seems like a miraculous natural environment. To quote the zoo, it invites visitors to "go wild in the heart of the City". It's a pity the animals cannot do the same. Indeed, it is well documented that elephants can roam more than 40 miles in a day in their natural surroundings. (They also mourn their dead and live in family groups.) Explain this to the Dublin Zoo elephants. Instinctive behaviour is still evident in third- or fourth-generation captive-bred animals. Most animals on display in zoos are not threatened by extinction, yet captive breeding programmes are one of the most common reasons that zoos use to justify their existence. They endeavour to save species that are faltering in the wild from going extinct. When asked "how many animals have been reintroduced back into the wild by Dublin Zoo since the 1800s", the answer was "we have none in the records, but possibly a golden lion tamarin was released to a protective area in South America six years ago". Strangely, there are no statistics for released animals. The focus of zoos is on human entertainment, rather than education. The Alliance for Animal Rights's observations at Dublin Zoo have shown that even if learning material is available, little of it is absorbed by the public and most zoo-goers disregard it. Children, especially, rush from one exhibit to another, pausing only if animals are being fed or performing cute tricks. With no predators, some animals might live longer in zoos, but at what price? Elephants in captivity display chronic health problems associated with confinement, including arthritis, foot diseases, skin ailments, psychological problems, and reproductive difficulties, with areas far too small to meet their needs for exercise and natural behaviour. Others just go mad. True conservation must conserve animals and their habitat in the wild. Animal species down to their last few surviving members might be taken into captivity, but only as a last resort, and these can live at specialist conservation centres. Unnaturally housed or insane animals cannot be representative of their species. Good wildlife television programmes today can show normal behaviour of animals in their natural surrounds. Alternatively there are safari or working holidays. We do not need to confine animals in zoos to learn. Zoos only teach us that it is acceptable to keep animals locked up so long as you can justify it with an excuse - conservation, or research, or for public education, or finance. Or that humans are superior to animals because we can capture and control them and that animals exist for human purposes. Animals in captivity are institutionalised, and totally dependent on humans. It is morally unacceptable to keep any being in an environment where their natural instincts are continuously frustrated - their enclosure is merely a prison. Many animals have suffered in Dublin Zoo. A white rhino was shot on zoo grounds, penguins died from toxic paint in their enclosure, sea lions went blind from the chlorine in their pond. Two polar bears went insane, with typical pacing back and forth continuously. A situation with another polar bear cub, "Knut", in Nuremberg zoo, is causing a major debate about the rights of caged animals in Germany. Although some insist that bears born in zoos have a right to human intervention to save and secure their lives, others, such as the German animal rights activist Frank Albrecht, argue that they become so dependent on man that they end up divorced from nature and turn into hyperactive, disturbed freaks. Dublin Zoo has traded animals with circuses over the years, too. Zoos are unable by their nature to exist without causing prolonged suffering to animals. I urge anyone who visits the zoo to really look into an animal's eyes. Do they deserve life imprisonment without ever committing a crime? Bernie Wright is press officer of the Alliance for Animal Rights (AFAR) 18. Help rid Ireland of illegal glue traps Please help rid Ireland of glue traps - one of the world's most cruel and inhumane traps. Visit your local hardware stores, discount shops, pet supply outlets, builder provider stores, etc to make sure that these illegal traps are not being sold. If you spot glue traps (also known as glue boards) for sale, please contact ICABS immediately with the details and we will pass them on to the National Parks and Wildlife Service. Also, if you are aware of any company using glue traps, please get in touch with us now. Glue traps are designed to catch mice and rats in a sticky base where they will suffer a slow, lingering death. Rodents caught in the traps frantically struggle to free themselves by pulling out their hair or biting off their own limbs. If they don't die from these injuries or from suffocation due to their faces becoming stuck in the glue, they spend days dying from starvation and dehydration. Veterinary surgeons who have condemned the traps have confirmed that "there is much suffering by the entrapped animals - it is not a sudden or merciful death...Because all mammals have similar nervous systems, they are capable of experiencing the same type of pain and suffering." In the past, ICABS has reported numerous shops selling the traps and our efforts have led to their removal from sale in a number of retail outlets. Help us to ensure that glue traps remain off shop shelves. ACTION ALERT Please visit your local hardware stores, discount shops, pet supply outlets, builder provider stores, etc to make sure that these illegal traps are not being sold. If you spot glue traps (also known as glue boards) for sale, please contact ICABS immediately with the details and we will pass them on to the National Parks and Wildlife Service. Also, if you are aware of any company using glue traps, please get in touch with us now. Are snares cruel? Yes. They have the potential to inflict extreme injuries on animals and can often be responsible for painful and lingering deaths. Not only this, once an animal is trapped in a snare it can suffer from dehydration, starvation and distress as well as being at a higher risk from other predators. In December 2007, the Scottish SPCA released a report on snaring compiled from the evidence of Scottish SPCA inspectors, wildlife crime police officers and vets. The report revealed that, although snares are meant to be restraining devices, more than half the animals reported were either found dead in the snare or had to be put down. (from the Spring 2008 edition of the Advocates for Animals newsletter) "The first draw was at Lambert's farm, where hounds found a fox almost immediately...The pack of 13 and a half couple hounds had, at this stage, hunted back towards the main Rosslare road, but fortunately the fox turned. The car followers had a nice view of him as he circled back towards the canal which drains the water from the south Wexford Slobs." (from a report on the Killinick Harriers hunt, Irish Field, January 19th 2008) "Otis Ferry is to face trial charged with attacking a hunt monitor and robbing another while they were trying to film him hunting in Gloucestershire. The pro-hunting campaigner and son of rock star Bryan Ferry entered no pleas to the allegations when he appeared at Cheltenham Magistrates' Court. Mr Ferry, 25, of Eaton Mascot, Shropshire, will enter formal pleas at Gloucester Crown Court on 14 May." (BBC News website - 7 May 2008) "The Kill Harriers are very professionally run, producing sport and catching their fair share of foxes." (From a report on County Waterfords' Kill Harriers hunt, Irish Field, January 19, 2008) "Hounds [were] hard behind the fox all the way until he reached the small glen above Boatstrand. This is a vulpine fortress and five fresh foxes left just as hounds arrived...Scent, as the previous hunt had demonstrated, had returned and the fox had to work hard to keep out of trouble. Soon he made the break and headed for the cliffs." (From a report on County Waterfords' Kill Harriers hunt, Irish Field, January 19, 2008) "Animal experimentation is a losing proposition for animals, for taxpayers, and for human health. We're calling on Irish vivisectors to put away their scalpels, their restraint chairs, and their guillotines and embrace modern, non-animal technologies to advance real medical research." (Andre Menache MRCVS, Veterinary Surgeon Consultant for Animal Rights Action Network, May 2008) "Our commitment to a fully localised Spanish offering was demonstrated by our introduction of the world's first bull fighting betting markets." (from the Paddy Power plc Annual Report 2007) "We [Paddy Power] have recently moved into Spain and had to adapt to the market. Spanish people don't bet on football and horseracing like Irish and English people do. So, we started taking bets on bull fighting, which was a huge success." (Sinead Lambert, Affiliate Manager, Paddy Power - GPWA.org, April 2008) "The northern bottlenose whale was hunted in Irish waters until the mid-1970s and is now rarely seen." (From the "Status of EU Protected Habitats and Species in Ireland" report, May 2008). "Please DO NOT send any live, dead or skeletal remains of any creature whatsoever to Mooney Goes Wild." (An "Important Notice" on the Mooney Goes Wild website - May 2008) "After the very heavy rain, parts of the field was mucky. But the slipper allowed for this and done a very good job and gave good long slips." Comments from a Department of the Environment/National Parks and Wildlife Service conservation ranger in a monitoring report for a coursing meeting in Kerry (December 2007). The document was obtained by ICABS under the Freedom of Information Act. According to a veterinary report attached to the NPWS document, one hare was injured during the coursing meeting, two died from so-called "natural causes" and 13 were found to be "sick or otherwise unfit after the coursing event". 20. Ban Foxhunting Action Alerts ACTION ALERT 1 Please make a special appeal to Trevor Sargent TD, Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture where new animal welfare legislation is currently being drafted. ICABS welcomed a statement from Minister Sargent last year in which he assured us that the new legislation will "ensure that the welfare of animals is properly protected". Please appeal to him to prioritise fox protection in the new act.
Trevor Sargent TD
Email: tsargent@greenparty.ie
Dear Minister Sargent, As one of the two thirds majority of Irish people who want foxhunting banned, I appeal to you to please ensure that foxes are afforded full protection from hunting groups in the new animal welfare legislation being drafted. Please do everything in your power to finally bring foxhunting to an end and protect foxes from this horrendous abuse. Thank you. I look forward to your response. Yours sincerely, [Name/Location] ACTION ALERT 2 Urge the Minister for Agriculture to protect foxes and all wild creatures from unnecessary cruelty.
Minister Mary Coughlan
Dear Minister Coughlan, I appeal to your sense of compassion to urgently intervene to save foxes from the cruelty of foxhunting. Foxhunting is an abhorrent assault on our wildlife heritage and a complete ban is long overdue. Please ensure that Ireland's new animal welfare legislation includes protection for foxes. Thank you. I look forward to your response. Yours sincerely, [Name/Location] ACTION ALERT 3 Please urgently appeal to your local politicians Please join us in telling all of Ireland's TDs that it is now time to replace foxhunting with the humane alternative - drag hunting. Drag hunting sees the hounds chasing an artificial lure instead of a live animal. This form of "hunting" is already practised successfully by a few groups in Ireland. In a modern and civilised country like Ireland, there should be no place for foxhunting, particularly when a transition to drag hunting would be simple. Please stand up for the foxes so cruelly abused by hunting groups - write to all of your local politicians and ask them to act to secure a ban on foxhunting. If possible, get your friends, family and workmates to contact them too. We need as much help with this campaign as possible. For a list of TDs and Senators, please visit http://www.oireachtas.ie/members-hist
Contact your TD at: Dail Eireann, Leinster House, Kildare Street, Dublin 2.
Contact your Senator at: Seanad Eireann, Leinster House, Kildare Street, Dublin 2.
ACTION ALERT 4 Contact Ireland's forestry board, Coillte, and demand an end to foxhunting on its property.
SAMPLE LETTER
Mr. David Gunning
Email: pr@coillte.ie
Dear Mr Gunning, As an Irish citizen, and thereby a shareholder in Coillte, I am writing to demand an end to foxhunting on Coillte property. I understand that Coillte currently issues permits to a number of foxhunts to carry out blood sport activities in forests. Considering the appalling cruelty of foxhunting and the fact that a majority of Irish people want it outlawed, the time has come for Coillte to do the decent thing and make all of its property off limits to foxhunting groups. Thank you. I look forward to your positive reply. Yours sincerely, [Name/Location] ACTION ALERT 5 If you are a farmer/landowner, please make your land off-limits to local foxhunts. Post "No Hunting" signs on the boundaries of your property and place a notice in your local newspaper to make it clear that hunts are not welcome. For more details on why it's in your best interests to keep hunts out, please click on "Farmers" at www.banbloodsports.com 21. Ban Coursing Action Alerts ACTION ALERT 1 Please contact Environment Minister, John Gormley, and appeal to him to give a commitment that this will be the last ever hare coursing season in Ireland.
SAMPLE LETTER
Minister John Gormley
Email: minister@environ.ie
Dear Minister Gormley, I am writing to implore you to firmly reject future licence applications from the Irish Coursing Club. Hare coursing is one of Ireland's most appalling forms of animal abuse with thousands of hares being ripped from their natural habitat and forced to run for their lives before muzzled dogs. When hit, the injuries are often so severe that the terrified hares have to be destroyed - but only after suffering from internal injuries such as broken bones. In its pre-election manifesto, the Green Party pledged to ban blood sports when in government. I am among the confident majority who trust that you will take this historic opportunity, Minister, to spare the hares the suffering caused by coursing and refuse further licences to these heartless destroyers of our wildlife heritage. Thank you and best wishes. 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 a list of TDs and Senators, please visit http://www.oireachtas.ie/members-hist
Contact your TD at: Dail Eireann, Leinster House, Kildare Street, Dublin 2.
Contact your Senator at: Seanad Eireann, Leinster House, Kildare Street, Dublin 2.
22. Ban Carted Deer Hunting Action Alerts ACTION ALERT 1 Urge Minister Gormley to refuse further licence to the Ward Union (as is his right as Environment Minister).
SAMPLE LETTER
Minister John Gormley
Email: minister@environ.ie
Dear Minister Gormley, I am writing to urge you, as a Green Party Minister, to do everything in your power to prevent the Ward Union from resuming their terrorisation of deer. According to legal experts, this hunt is illegal. Please refuse further licences to this cruel hunt which a majority of people in County Meath and many more around Ireland and the world want stopped. Thank you. I look forward to your response. Yours sincerely, [Name/Location] 23. Google thanked for removing bullfight adverts ICABS has thanked Google for removing bullfighting adverts from a page which previews a book about anti-bullfight campaigner, Vicki Moore. In our appeal to the company, we told of how brave Vicki was violently gored by a bull while documenting animal cruelty and sadly died five years later. "We are sure that it was not Google's intention to be insensitive or disrespectful but the fact remains that the presence of these links are hurtful not only to Vicki's surviving husband, Tony, but also to the many people in Ireland, the UK and across Europe who remember the enormous contribution Vicki made to the campaign against bullfighting," we stated in our correspondence last month. In an email reply to ICABS, a Google spokesperson acknowledged "the contradiction of showing the ads on a book search site against animal violence". ICABS was delighted to subsequently learn, through Tony Moore and his partner Matilda Mench (both of whom launched the Google campaign), that the sponsored links had been removed from the Life on the Line page. As Google continues to accept adverts from bullfighting-related companies, the campaign continues. Please see below for more details on how you can help persuade Google to stop advertising this abhorrent activity. ACTION ALERT Thank Google for removing the bullfighting sponsored links from the Life on the Line page. The links continue to appear on other Google pages, however, so please urge the company to show compassion and stop accepting adverts from those involved in this barbaric blood sport.
SAMPLE LETTER
Dr. Eric E. Schmidt, Ph.D.
Email Google Ads at: adwords-support@google.com
Dear Mr Schmidt, I am writing to thank Google for removing bullfighting sponsored links from the Google Book Search page for Life on the Line, a book about brave anti-bullfighting campaigner, Vicki Moore. Sadly, similar links continue to appear on other Google pages. I ask you to please stop accepting Sponsored Link adverts from companies involved with bullfighting, one of the world's worst forms of animal abuse. Your decision to disassociate Google from this appalling blood sport would be widely welcomed by millions around the world. Thank you. I look forward to your positive reply. Yours sincerely, [Name/Location] 24. Google: We will not disallow bullfight ads Though stressing that the company does not condone bullfighting, Google has told ICABS that they "will not disallow ads for bullfighting on Google". This disappointing response comes following an appeal in which we highlighted the terrible suffering endured by bulls in this extremely cruel blood sport. "We appreciate that some people have strong feelings about these ads and Google in no way condones the activity," a company spokesperson outlined. "But, having taken into consideration a number of different factors which take into consideration issues such as local law, customs and culture, we have decided that we will not disallow ads for bullfighting on Google." In our original correspondence to the company, ICABS stated: "As a modern and compassionate company which prides itself on a positive global image, it would be very appropriate for Google to stop allowing those who advertise or promote animal cruelty to benefit from your sponsored links service," (Sponsored links are advertisement links which companies pay Google to display on their search pages) ICABS is now renewing its appeal to the CEO and directors of Google to reconsider this stance and to implement a policy of refusing all future applications for bullfighting-related Sponsored Links. ACTION ALERT Please ask Google to show compassion and stop advertising bullfighting.
SAMPLE LETTER
Dr. Eric E. Schmidt, Ph.D.
Email Google Ads at: adwords-support@google.com
Dear Mr Schmidt, I am writing to ask that Google stop accepting Sponsored Links from companies involved with bullfighting, one of the world's worst forms of animal abuse. Please take this opportunity to do the decent thing and disassociate from this appalling blood sport which millions around the world want outlawed. Thank you. I look forward to your positive reply. Yours sincerely, [Name/Location] 25. MEP contacts Parliament President about bullfight exhibition Irish MEP, Kathy Sinnott, has contacted the President of the European Parliament about an exhibition which bullfighters are planning to hold at EU Headquarters next month. The blood sports brigade are trying to convince parliamentarians that slowly torturing a bull to death is a "noble" activity that should be preserved. In a letter to all of Ireland's MEPs, ICABS stated: "We are shocked and horrified to learn today that there is to be a bullfighting exhibition entitled 'Between Man and Bull', the purpose of which is to try to persuade legislators that bullfighting is a 'noble' activity. This is due to commence on June 4th, and is aimed at familiarising Parliament members with the 'beauty' and 'proud liveliness' of this 'European cultural heritage'." "If you abhor what can only be described as the world's worst blood sport, please strongly object to the mounting of this grotesque exhibition, masquerading as art and tradition," we added. Appealing to the President of the European Parliament to scrap the exhibition, we highlighted this week how opposition to bullfighting across Europe is at an all-time high and continually growing. "A majority of EU citizens want bullfighting banned," we emphasised. "We hope that you can reverse the decision to allow the bullfighting industry into Parliament to speak favourably about this indefensible blood sport." ACTION ALERT Please download and distribute the ICABS leaflet which asks holidaymakers to boycott bullrings. Give a copy to any friend or family member visiting France, Spain, Portugal or another bullfighting country. Thank you.
Have happy holiday memories! This Summer, Boycott Bullfighting
Have happy holiday memories! This Summer, Boycott Bullfighting (Dutch version)
Holidaymakers - Make your holiday cruelty-free!
26. Bull battered by bulldozer The following article from the Daily Telegraph explains how a bulldozer was driven in to a Spanish bullring to batter a bull who refused to take on a matador. A video of this appalling incident can be viewed at http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=fJUHY3FH2BI
Bulldozer called in to fight bull
Barbaric bullfighting bosses have plunged the cruel sport to new depths by calling in a bulldozer to batter a bull for refusing to take on a matador. Many spectators in the town of Pinar, in Spain's Andalucia region, even cheered as the ten-tonne terror goaded the terrified beast into charging. The bull ended up exhausted and bleeding - and the matador came in to finish it off. Some fans, however, were revolted. Manuela Fernandez told Britain's The Sun newspaper: "People around me were screaming and saying how cruel it was but the rest of the crowd seemed to enjoy it. "The poor creature was scared out of its wits. It clearly didn't have the stomach to fight but they decided to try to force it." The town could now be banned from holding more bullfights. Andalucia's regional government spokesman Jesus Huertas said: "This was reprehensible and intolerable. We are going to deal with this forcefully to ensure nothing like it ever happens again." Spain's National Association for the Defence of Animals added: "These degrading scenes must not be forgotten." Become a supporter of ICABS The Irish Council Against Blood Sports relies entirely on the generosity of its supporters to continue campaigning for an end to blood sport cruelty. Please become a supporter of ICABS today. 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. Fund an ICABS campaign postcard Campaign postcards are an important part of our campaign to highlight cruelty and call for change. Please consider funding an ICABS postcard. The printing costs for a postcard are approximately 150 Euro. ICABS postcards are made available on demand to individuals and animal welfare groups. If you are interested in funding a postcard, please contact us for further details. Thank you. ICABS Campaign Text Alerts Sign up for the Irish Council Against Blood Sports' Campaign Text Alerts service and receive occasional campaign updates to your mobile phone. To subscribe to this free service, simply text the word GO to our textline on 086-0386617. If, after subscribing, you wish to unsubscribe at any stage, simply text the word STOP to the same number. Your number will not be passed on to anyone else. Tune in to the ICABS Channel Footage of blood sport cruelty and the humane alternatives can be viewed on the ICABS Channel on Youtube - www.youtube.com/icabs or by clicking on "Videos" at www.banbloodsports.com Please ask your local TD/Senator to view our videos and back a blood sports ban.
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