Animal Voice: Issue 4, April 2012
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In this month's edition:
01. Ask Minister Coveney to ban fur farming
01. Ask Minister Coveney to ban fur farming
Express your support for a ban on fur farming in Ireland. Email Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney now.
Email: minister@agriculture.gov.ie
Fax your message to: 01 661 1013 and 021 437 4862
SAMPLE LETTER
Dear Minister Coveney,
I support a total ban on fur farming and an immediate closure of Ireland's fur farms.
In these hellholes, animals suffer a horrendous life of misery before being cruelly gassed to death. There is absolutely no justification for the continuation of this cruelty.
Please ban fur farming now.
Yours sincerely,
[Name/Location]
02. Anti-fur demo, May 1st, Dublin
On Tuesday, May 1st, the Animal Rights Action Network will stage a peaceful demonstration outside the offices of the Department of Agriculture to call for a ban on fur farming in Ireland. Please make a special effort to attend this important demo.
When: Tuesday, May 1st
Visit www.banfurfarms.ie
to witness the cruelty of fur farming and send emails to politicians.
03. Coveney considers gassing to be "humane"
The Minister for Agriculture, Simon Coveney, has described the horrific gassing of mink on Ireland's fur farm hellholes as "humane".
The Fine Gael Minister's disgraceful statement was made in response to a 24th April Dail Question from ICABS President, Maureen O'Sullivan, TD.
"Holders of licences to keep mink are subject to conditions which include compliance with all relevant legislation concerning the environment, animal health and welfare," the Minister stated.
"The animals are killed humanely by gas," he added.
ICABS has joined an appeal for him to show compassion and put in place a total ban on fur farming.
See the full text of Deputy O'Sullivan's Dail Question and the response.
04. Mauled hare cried out in distress: NPWS ranger
A National Parks and Wildlife Service ranger who monitored a coursing meeting in Westmeath last season has described how a hare cried out in distress during a mauling incident. The creature was "hit about five times and mauled on the ground by the dogs" according to a report seen by ICABS.
The report, obtained under Freedom of Information, states: "There were nine hares hit on Day 1. Of these, one hare was tossed and rolled on the ground; another hare was tossed and mauled; another was mauled on the ground by the two dogs and placed in a wooden box; another was hit about five times and mauled on the ground by the dogs. When the dog owners came running in, one of them grabbed the hare and lifted it away from the dogs by its side and then the steward took it from him and handled it in a more appropriate manner. The hare cried with what I presume was distress during this incident. The steward placed this hare in the wooden box. Another hare was tossed and badly mauled by the dogs later in the day. In all, three hit hares were retrieved and placed in a wooden box,"
ICABS has brought this to the attention of Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Tanaiste Eamon Gilmore and urged them to intervene to outlaw coursing.
Please see our recent video footage showing hares being terrorised, hit and mauled:
05. Southern Star asked to drop hunt reports
Cork's Southern Star newspaper has been asked to stop featuring hunting reports in its local notes section. One report described how a terrorised fox ran "like a scalded cat" during a hunt.
The Southern Star's 21st January 2012 edition carried the following account: "The hounds picked up the line of a fox in Mulcahy's farm, which took them to McCarthy's plantation where a vixen and five or six admirers were on foot - then one fox broke at the east end and went north through McCarthy's farm like a scalded cat with 7.5 couples [15 hounds] on his heels..."
The fox desperately ran for its life ahead of hounds that were said to be "travelling at a pace that would do justice to a greyhound on the straights at Clounanna".
A 24th December 2011 report focused on the infamous South Union hunt (whose appalling cruelty is featured in our Ban Foxhunting Video). It stated that at a St Stephen's Day hunt, the hunters were to "first assemble in the County Council car park on Crosshaven Road." A further report confirmed that the hunt had gathered on the Council property where they left their lorries and horseboxes.
A separate report declared that "hunting followers enjoyed some excellent sport at their two hunts during the past week". During these hunts, a hare "provided the hounds with a few turns, taking them over to Carrigeen and on to Ballylangley", "a sturdy fox took the hounds over through Grange and on to the Bog before going to ground" and "a fine dog fox was put out and he set the pace with a number of circles before going to ground in Lehina."
According to a 7th January 2012 report, "Members of the South Cork Farmers Hunt provided an impressive sight as they were waved off by Kinsale Mayor, Fred Treacy (Fine Gael)". Mayor Treacy can be contacted at ftreacy@gofree.indigo.ie or Tel: 021-4772691 or 086-8275481).
In an email to the editor of the Southern Star, ICABS called for an end to the offensive hunting reports. "Given the extreme cruelty of fox and hare hunting and the fact that Southern Star is a family newspaper, we appeal to your sense of compassion to stop giving space to those involved in this barbarity," we stated. "Please side with the majority who abhor cruelty and keep hunt reports out of the Southern Star."
ACTION ALERT
Contact the editor of Southern Star and ask for hunt reports to be excluded from future editions of the paper. Suggest that the paper instead exposes the appalling cruelty of foxhunting and hare hunting in County Cork.
The Editor
Tel: +353(0)28 21200
06. Phil Hogan "caught hares with us when he was young"
The Environment Minister, Phil Hogan's shameful involvement in hare coursing has been exposed by the Irish Independent. A report quoted a Kilkenny courser as saying Hogan "caught hares with us when he was young".
"We'd net hares on the Hogan family farm," the secretary of Sevenhouses coursing club told the Independent. "He [Phil Hogan] caught hares with us when he was young."
The secretary went on to say that the club had a "long-standing relationship" with the Fine Gael minister and that they were delighted with his attendance at a coursing meeting in January and his presentation of awards to the winners.
ICABS has expressed disgust to Hogan after he was filmed presenting a trophy at the end of the coursing meeting during which 12 hares were hit, 1 died and another was put down as a result of injuries.
07. SHAME ON DEENIHAN AND HOGAN
Shame on Minister for Arts and Heritage, Jimmy Deenihan, who told hare coursers recently: "Whatever I can do for coursing while I am in this job, I will certainly do it."
Minister Deenihan made this disgraceful pledge at a coursing awards function at the Charleville Park Hotel on March 24th last, after announcing that the shooting of hares would be banned, to the delight of the coursers who see this as ensuring that more hares will be available for coursing. Minister Deenihan certainly wouldn't have bothered moving to ban the shooting of hares for the sake of the hares.
Meanwhile his ministerial colleague, Phil Hogan, was present at a coursing meeting in Sevenhouses, Kilkenny, where over the two days of coursing, 12 hares were struck by greyhounds, with one being killed and one put down because of its injuries. Minister Hogan was filmed presenting a trophy to coursing fans after the meeting - See www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsWX7_nsMLg&t=48s
"It is beyond belief in this day and age that Ministers of our government should be fraternising with and aiding and abetting those who engage in such barbarism," said Aideen Yourell of the Irish Council Against Blood Sports. "They are out of touch with the vast majority of people who abhor cruelty to animals. Hare coursing is now outlawed in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, leaving the Irish Republic as the last bastion of this backwoods barbarism. What planet do these Ministers live on? They should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves. It makes us, as a country, look like a crowd of barbarians!"
Please see our recent video footage showing hares being terrorised, hit and mauled
ACTION ALERT
Express your disgust to Minister Jimmy Deenihan and Minister Phil Hogan. Ask Fine Gael party leader and Taoiseach Enda Kenny to modernise his party's policy in relation to animal welfare and ban hare coursing.
Jimmy Deenihan, TD
Email: ministersoffice@tcs.gov.ie
Phil Hogan, TD
An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny
08. Why foxes must be protected in Ireland
Disturbing video footage showing an Irish hunter pulling a bleeding fox by the tail while terriers attack. Please join with us in demanding urgent protection for Ireland's foxes.
ACTION ALERT
Urgently contact An Taoiseach Enda Kenny and An Tanaiste Eamon Gilmore. Demand that they show compassion for foxes and use the Animal Health and Welfare Bill 2012 as an opportunity to protect foxes from hunting cruelty.
An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny
An Tanaiste, Eamon Gilmore
SAMPLE LETTER
Dear Deputies,
I have just watched horrifying video footage showing an Irish hunter dragging a fox by its tail while the unfortunate creature is being attacked by dogs - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zwwn-aA3IcU
Such shameful cruelty must be tackled by the new Animal Health and Welfare Bill 2012.
A draft of the bill incredibly includes an exemption for hunting. This is entirely unacceptable to the majority who care for wildlife and want it protected from bloodsport barbarity.
Please do not turn a blind eye to the disgusting acts of cruelty being committed in our countryside. Use the opportunity of the new animal welfare bill to give protection to foxes - one of the most persecuted species in Ireland - and tough penalties to those caught abusing animals.
Thank you. I look forward to your positive response.
Yours sincerely,
[Name/Location]
Contact Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney and demand that a hunting exemption is removed from the Animal Health and Welfare Bill 2012.
Minister Simon Coveney
Contact all your local TDs now. Demand that they urgently help save foxes from cruelty and back a ban on hunting.
Find out the names of your TDs and their email addresses.
http://www.oireachtas.ie/members%2Dhist/default.asp?housetype=0&HouseNum=31&disp=const
If you prefer to post a letter to your TDs, address your correspondence to:
09. Panama bans hare coursing. When will Ireland follow?
The League Against Cruel Sports has reported that a major new animal welfare law passed in Panama in the past few weeks, includes a ban on hare coursing.
The impressive new legislation is the first animal protection law in Panamanian history. It not only bans coursing but also bullfighting, dogfighting and greyhound racing. The use of animals in circuses has been effectively stopped too. A big thumbs up to Panama, its legislators and all the animal groups and campaigners involved for this historic achievement.
In stark and shameful contrast, the Irish Government not only allows coursing but is seeking to protect the bloodsport by inserting an exemption into new animal "welfare" legislation.
Be inspired by Panama's tremendous achievement. Join us in contacting the Irish Government and demanding a coursing and hunting ban here. Spread the word and encourage friends and family members to get involved now.
10. A history of coursing bans
New South Wales, Australia (1953)
ACTION ALERTS
Appeal to the Minister for Agriculture
Please appeal to the Minister for Agriculture to remove an exemption for coursing from the new Animal Welfare Bill and to permanently ban hare coursing.
Simon Coveney, TD
Email: minister@agriculture.gov.ie
Contact all your local TDs now. Tell them you are one of the majority who want coursing banned. Remind them that coursing is already illegal in Northern Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales. Urge them to respect the wishes of the majority of the electorate and back the anti-coursing bill being introduced by Maureen O'Sullivan, TD and Clare Daly, TD.
Find out the names of your TDs and their email addresses.
http://www.oireachtas.ie/members%2Dhist/default.asp?housetype=0&HouseNum=31&disp=const
If you prefer to post a letter to your TDs, address your correspondence to:
Urgently contact An Taoiseach Enda Kenny and An Tanaiste Eamon Gilmore. Ask them to back a ban on hare coursing and give permanent protection to hares.
An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny
An Tanaiste, Eamon Gilmore
11. Ask Sinn Fein to restore anti-coursing stance
Join us in asking Sinn Fein to restore its anti-coursing stance. Previous to 2010, the party had an anti-coursing policy. Today, many within the party remain anti-coursing. Please urge the party to reinstate its previous policy, in line with the majority view that this cruel activity must be outlawed.
Contact details for Sinn Fein:
Email: sfadmin@eircom.net
12. NPWS challenged over whaling exhibition
ICABS has questioned the appropriateness of a National Parks and Wildlife Service exhibition which focuses on Ireland's past role in whaling. The exhibition hosted by Ballycroy National Park is described as an "exciting" part of its visitor centre.
A National Parks representative has described whaling as an 'important chapter of Mayo’s historical past' but anyone who witnesses the horrors of whaling are likely to agree that the marine massacres represent a shameful chapter.
"In the modern era, Mayo should be looking back in shame at the role it played in whale slaughter," we stated. "Promoting such an exhibition as 'exciting' is insensitive to the love and respect people overwhelmingly hold for whales and the view that whaling was, and is, entirely unacceptable."
The display was opened earlier this month by Minister Jimmy Deenihan.
A 1908 documentary entitled "Whaling Afloat and Ashore" provides a heart-breaking insight into the brutality of whaling off the Irish coast. It shows Norwegian and Irish whalers closing in on a whale and firing harpoons into its body. The doomed creature can be seen thrashing desperately while trying to struggle free from a tether.
But there is no escape for this whale or the hundreds of others dragged through bloodied water to the west coast. Its graceful journey through the Atlantic was diverted to a slipway in Mayo where it was hauled slowly out of the sea and sliced apart.
Ballycroy National Park should focus on celebrating the beauty of the natural world and stop tainting its visitor centre with memories of those who destroyed it.
ACTION ALERT
Ask Ballycroy National Park why they have chosen to host a whaling exhibition and to present it as an "exciting part" of its visitor centre.
Ballycroy National Park Visitor Centre,
Tel: 098 49 888
Slideshow: Ireland's past role in whaling cruelty
The slideshow below features still images from a 1908 documentary entitled "Whaling Afloat and Ashore". It shows Irish and Norwegian whalers targeting whales off the Irish coast.
13. Greyhound grave uncovered in Limerick
A mass greyhound grave has been discovered in County Limerick, a front page Metro Herald report has revealed. Dead dogs found were killed by "blunt force trauma to the head".
Limerick Animal Welfare say that two of the dogs were killed recently and that the site at Ballyagran was used several times to kill and dump dogs.
Quoted in the report, animal welfare expert Orla Aungier said that such mass graves were "very common" around Ireland and that dogs usually had their ears cut off so that they could not be traced by their tattoos.
According to information from the ISPCA website, "approximately 14,000 greyhounds are 'disposed of' in Ireland each year."
"They are destroyed because they haven't made the grade as racing dogs or when they are past their best for racing (usually by the age of four)," they have outlined. "Other unwanted dogs are sold to Spain, where they are forced to race in appalling conditions, with no veterinary care and no prospect of an end to their suffering until they are too badly injured to continue."
Read the Metro Herald report
14. Minister Deenihan poses with coursers
The Minister for Arts and Heritage, Jimmy Deenihan, has been pictured posing with hare coursers.
A photo on the Sporting Press website (March 2012) shows the Fine Gael TD with a group of coursers, including the CEO and President of the Irish Coursing Club). See the photo at http://tinyurl.com/bmf272b
At a coursing function at the Charleville Park Hotel on March 24th, Deenihan shamefully assured the coursers: "Whatever I can do for coursing while I am in this job, I will certainly do it."
Email: ministersoffice@tcs.gov.ie;taoiseach@taoiseach.gov.ie
15. Anjelica Huston calls for fur farming ban in Ireland
Oscar-winning actress Anjelica Huston has called on Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney to ban fur farming.
In a letter written on behalf of PETA and the Animal Rights Action Network, Ms Huston stated: "This issue means a lot to me as I grew up in Ireland and used to wear fur. I had a change of heart when I learned how minks and foxes on fur farms are crammed into tiny, dirty cages and driven so crazy by the confinement that many self-mutilate and even cannibalize their cagemates."
"Please use your considerable power to follow through on the commitment to add Ireland to the growing list of countries—including Northern Ireland, Austria, Switzerland, and Great Britain—that have banned the cruel practice of fur farming," she added.
16. Shane McEntee's coursing claims exposed as nonsense
Meath East TD, Shane McEntee has claimed that there is "no danger" to the hares used as lures in coursing.
A Youtube video, featuring hares being knocked and mauled, shows how ridiculous Deputy McEntee's claim is. See the video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufbvbSbFLok
17. Co Meath man sentenced over animal cruelty
RTE News, 19 April 2012
A Co Meath man who is employed by nine local authorities to look after seized animals has been sentenced to 16 months imprisonment today on charges of animal cruelty.
Sentencing Joseph Moran of Cloneymeath, Summerhill, Judge Patrick McMahon said he was surprised to hear that the defendant still had contracts with local authorities.
"This person is totally unfit to deal with any form of animal and it would be my wish that he is banned for life from keeping horses," the judge declared at Trim District Court.
Christopher O'Brien Lynch, a veterinary inspector with the Department of Agriculture, told the court that after concerns were raised with him, he visited the fields where Moran was keeping horses. He had contracts with nine authorities where he would collect and care for seized animals.
The witness said he found one small horse that had its ribs protruding from its body. It was unable to stand and barely able to keep its head off the ground.
The animal was deeply stressed and on a scale of zero to five - where five would be overweight and zero would be skeletal - Mr O'Brien Lynch said this horse was 0.5. He euthanised the horse straightaway.
Another horse was in exactly the same condition nearby. That too was euthanised immediately to end its suffering.
The defendant was there at the time and he acknowledged that the animals had not had any water since they arrived at his farm three days earlier. The vet said the defendant had unnecessarily prolonged the suffering of the animals.
As he inspected the other fields in the farm, Mr O'Brien Lynch said he discovered several decomposed horse or donkey remains. Some had been there for many months rotting away.
There were 19 other horses on the farm and the vet said he was entirely satisfied with their condition. The court was also told that there was an issue with the quality of the feed being given to animals in the stables, but that had been resolved.
Mr O'Brien Lynch said the defendant was a contractor paid to collect and care for vulnerable or neglected animals on behalf of the State and everything should have been "top class". He said these animals had suffered "institutional abuse".
He acknowledged that Moran was very co-operative and helpful during the investigation and on subsequent inspections.
Counsel for the defendant, Shane Patrick Murray, said his client was pleading guilty to the charges. The vast majority of animals on the farm were in very good condition and these offences were a "black spot" on his work.
His client had and continued to provide free help to charities like the DSPCA and the ISPCA. He employed three other people and if he was to have a conviction recorded against him it could mean the loss of his contracts with nine local authorities and the closure of his business, Mr Murray said.
However, Judge McMahon sentenced him to a total of 16 months in prison, although he fixed recognisances in the event of an appeal.
18. New Poster: Ban Larsen Traps in Ireland
Download our new "Ban Larsen Traps" poster at
Please join us in calling on the Minister for Arts, Heritage and Gaeltacht Affairs to urgently introduce a ban on Larsen traps.
Jimmy Deenihan, TD
Email: ministersoffice@tcs.gov.ie
19. New ICABS "Ban Coursing" keyring
Show your support for a ban on hare coursing with our cool new keyring. Perfect for car keys, house keys, etc.
Order Now at http://www.cafepress.co.uk/banbloodsports.637834034 (Only €8)
20. Priest in coursing booklet
The latest in a list of priests who associate with animal cruelty activities. See this extract from the 2012 Irish Cup coursing meeting booklet
Please Email "Clergy out of bloodsports" to the Irish Catholic Bishops' Conference admin@aracoeli.com
Animal welfare is "something that was very close to the heart of Tony Gregory [therefore] we are looking at trying to resurrect Tony’s attempts at anti-coursing." Along with independent TD Clare Daly, O’Sullivan intended to introduce an anti-hare coursing Bill in 2012 to protect animals from cruelty in sports. However, she states: "There’s animal welfare legislation coming out and we are waiting to see what’s in that and see what way we will progress it from there." Eolas Magazine, April 4th, 2012
"Whatever I can do for coursing while I am in this job, I will certainly do it." Jimmy Deenihan, Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht at the 2012 annual Coursing Awards (Sporting Press March 2012)
"Bad for business, you understand" - a vet "afraid to get involved" in exposing the recent greyhound grave scandal http://dld.bz/bvH6N
Four men have been charged in connection with a police operation into badger baiting. The detained men - aged 19, 21 39 and 42 - will face counts of animal cruelty at Newtownards Magistrates' Court on Monday 30 April. Police said it comes after a series of arrests were made on 26 March as part of Operation Meles, the investigation into badger baiting across Northern Ireland. From UTV Live News, 03 April 2012
"It must be said that public outrage [at the brutal murder of 18-year-old Marioara Rostas] has not galvanized into mass demonstrations of solidarity against this direct assault on our humanity. Where are the outpourings of disgust that such a level of depravity could be committed here? The vocal dissension and mobilization against fox and stag hunting and the political communication to retain the medical card for the senior citizens dwarfed any rallying against violent and murderous sexual predators." Quote from the current edition of Garda Review magazine http://www.gardareview.ie/ If you have information that can help the Gardai, please contact them now at http://www.garda.ie/Controller.aspx?Page=3430&Lang=1
"There was no hare in Fordes, Sheehans, Kellehers, Crowley or Mulcahys farms. Where are they gone? You may use your own discretion. The hounds picked up the line of a fox in Mulcahy's farm, which took them to McCarthy's plantation where a vixen and five or six admirers were on foot. Then one fox broke at the east end and went north through McCarthy's farm like a scalded cat with 7.5 couples [15 hounds] on his heels leaving the remainder of the pack in the plantation." From a hunting report on the Upton Harriers, Co. Cork in the Southern Star newspaper - 21st January 2012
"We encourage our consumers to continue to use social media channels to alert us to any situation where they feel our brands are being misrepresented, so that we can take the appropriate actions." A Heineken spokesperson quoted in the Daily Mail (18 April 2012) after the company removed promotional material from a Mongolian venue that hosted barbaric dogfighting. www.dailymail.co.uk
The stench of rotting flesh, death, is very strong in the air so I know we're getting close. It's a thick, familiar smell to me that would turn even the toughest of stomachs. Climbing down a small embankment of an old sand quarry in South West Ireland I find what I've seen before and already knew was there. I clearly hear the crumpling, chewing sound, again familiar and disturbing, as ten's of thousands of fat maggots destroy the evidence in an otherwise quiet landscape. It's a surreal and nightmarish sound. I count six maybe seven greyhound carcasses in different stages of decomposition lying exposed to the world, to the beautiful Irish countryside. From "It's Happened Again - Thoughts from the Killing Fields of Ireland" by John Mottern / American European Greyhound Alliance. Read his full report at http://aega.homestead.com/greys-in-pit-ireland.html?_=1334067131862
Horses trust us. It's immoral to use that trust to cause the horse to jump a drop fence with a greater descent on far side...Two horses killed at the Aintree Grand National on Saturday; three horses killed on the first day of Cheltenham, and two on the second; two horses killed in the Aintree Grand National last year. It can't go on. It's wrong, and we all know it's wrong...Quite simply, for nine horses to be killed at first-class meetings in Aintree and Cheltenham in just over a year is utterly inexcusable. Moreover, the British-run website Racehorse Death Watch lists 816 animal deaths in five years. Such needless bloodshed and suffering cannot be defended. Kevin Myers, Irish Independent, April 17 2012. Read his full article
FG, Labour should be ashamed over hare coursing
A new Animal Welfare Bill has just been published, and while it sets out to protect animals from cruelty and unnecessary suffering – stating among its provisions that to terrify or bait an animal is prohibited – it then exempts hare coursing, which most certainly constitutes baiting, terrifying an animal and causing it unnecessary suffering.
If hare coursing were not cruel, it would not have to be specially exempted, nor would other forms of hunting wild animals with dogs, such as fox hunting, which are also given a pass.
Just two weeks ago, we watched as eight hares were pinned down and seriously mauled by muzzled greyhounds at a coursing meeting at Limerick Racecourse. We have sent video clips of these incidents to our elected representatives so they can be in no doubt about the cruelty involved in this so-called ‘sport’ that Fine Gael and Labour want to preserve.
Hare coursing has been outlawed in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, leaving our republic as the last outpost of this backwoods barbarism. This Fine Gael and Labour Government, and indeed those other political parties that support this cruelty, should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves.
Aideen Yourell
A 'traditional liberty'?
Sir, - The irony of Michael Mac Guinness's melodramatic equating of hare coursing with republicanism (April 11th), while writing from the libertarian stronghold of Saudi Arabia, brought a smile to my face. I'm still not sure if his letter was intended satirically.
The fact that a practice has a "tradition" is no argument for its preservation. If that were the case, slavery and witch-hunting would still be common practice today.
Not all liberties are equal. It is the duty of a civilised, progressive society to check atavistic, anachronistic practices like these.
I suggest that those who engage in hare coursing try a different hobby, such as walking a dog. Listening to the radio may also prove diversionary.
In the meantime, I hope Mr Mac Guinness enjoys the falconry in the Saudi Arabia to its fullest extent, as it is universally recognised as the one indispensable liberty in the region. Now, if only hares could navigate dunes better. Yours, etc,
Edward Murray,
Silence of racing ‘fans’ over Government plan to supply China with horses is deafening
As horse racing pundits in the UK give lip service to the horse killings at the Grand National we do not hear many racing supporters condemning the move by the Irish Government to supply China with Irish horses.
The racing venture and racecourse proposed in China will require 600 to 800 horses for its inaugural year, which is targeted to have approximately 40 race days.
This venture is to be stocked with broodmares from Ireland, while stallions will also be sent out.
Also it does not seem to matter to Taoiseach Enda Kenny that Hong Kong is the only venue on Chinese soil where betting on horses is legal and that authorities are unlikely to legalise gambling on the mainland anytime soon.
While Ireland has no agreement regarding the export of horses, according to the DOA the changes are being drafted now.
We wish there was some hope that the new Ireland-China ‘deal’ would not mean untold suffering to Irish animals.
We only have to look at past and current horse events in China to foretell the future for our horses.
The following is a chronicle of known horse abuse already part of life in China:
* Not many know that in 2005 at the Beijing racetrack over 600 healthy thoroughbreds were reported to have been slaughtered in the Chinese capital. This was as a consequence of the official reluctance by the Chinese Communist Party to tolerate gambling. This mass killing was unprecedented even in the harsh world of horseracing.
* Zoos across China are still putting on cruel exotic animal performances, three months after they were banned by the government.
In one show in Guangxi Zhuang this month, crowds cheered as a tiger teetered on the back of a horse, while monkeys, with chains around their necks, rode bicycles around in circles.
* Horse fighting is still rife in China with evidence available from shocking photos of two stallions covered in blood and ferociously biting each other at the annual horse fight in Antai, China, where such animal cruelty is considered ‘sport’.
At the annual event, which dates back a staggering 500 years, horses are pitted against each other as thousands of locals watch, with many cheering them on and taking photographs.
The stallions are encouraged to fight by being led to a mare in heat, and then taking the female horse away when the stallions are aroused.
In a humane society, we would expect our legislators to condemn China’s animal and human abuses without any further delay.
Bernie Wright
JP McManus and hare coursing cruelty
Dear Editor,
We note that JP McManus says he is "devastated" by the death of his horse at the Grand National. What a pity this highly successful entrepreneur has not yet, to our knowledge, displayed the same feelings of concern for the hares forced to perform at the annual "Irish Cup" coursing event.
As the main financial sponsor of this event, he may be aware that at this year’s fixture, several hares were mauled, forcibly struck, or pinned to the ground by the hyped-up greyhounds, and that others were, as is common in hare coursing, tossed about like playthings on the course. Their terror and suffering was recorded on film and the footage posted on Youtube.
Mr. McManus is reportedly feeling a "deep sadness and sense of loss" at the demise of the horse known as Synchronised. We would urge him to expand his circle of compassion to include the hares that, year after year, are set up as live bait to be terrorized for fun at coursing events.
Diageo and Specsavers, whose ad banners were inadvertently displayed at Limerick racecourse during this year’s "Irish Cup" fixture, have since confirmed in writing that they do not support or condone the blood sport in any way.
Perhaps Mr. McManus should consider doing likewise. He is a man of great wealth and influence and there must be any number of causes or sporting events more worthy of his sponsorship than live hare coursing.
Thanking you,
Sincerely,
John Fitzgerald,
China horse welfare fears
Last weekend the pundits, bookies and people involved in horse racing celebrated their winnings literally on the backs of horses in the Grand National.
Little press coverage was given to the horses that suffered appalling injuries and untimely deaths all for the "enjoyment" of mankind.
We are now informed by Minister Simon Coveney that he has brokered a deal with China which will involve sending Irish race horses to China to help establish a horse racing industry in that country. The Chinese reputation for animal welfare is appalling.
The lives and welfare of the Irish horses that will end up in China appear to be of no consequence to our government and the racing industry.
Chris O’Malley
Greyhound Grave
The discovery of greyhound remains in a makeshift grave in Co Limerick highlights again the dark side of an industry that Junior Minister Shane McEntee recently lauded as one we should all be proud of. Once a greyhound has outlived its value on the track or coursing field, it faces danger. Unless the owner happens to be genuinely fond of dogs, the animal is likely to come to a nasty end.
Among those selected for death, the lucky ones will be taken to a vet or shot. Others are likely to end their brief sporting careers in a more grisly fashion, bludgeoned to death with a spade or shovel: a sad fate for an animal that has given such loyal service to the (presumably ungrateful?) gambling community.
Ear-tagging of greyhounds was supposed to eliminate this ill-treatment, but the ID tags can easily be hacked off the bodies.
Bord na gCon has said it will do everything in its power to clamp down on this kind of activity. It should go further. Ear-tagging should be replaced as an ID method by micro-chipping to prevent tag removal, and a major initiative against doping of greyhounds is long overdue. This is widespread in the industry, with little regard as to the effects on the dogs' health of the performance-enhancing drugs utilised by unscrupulous trainers.
The Board also needs to face up to the fact that live hare coursing is no longer acceptable to the vast majority of people in Ireland. It casts a pall of shame over the entire industry.
The hares are terrorised, battered and mauled. Many of them literally die of fright when being netted or during captivity, owing to a stress-related condition called Capture Myopathy. FOI reports obtained from the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) show that hares suffer appalling injuries and ill-treatment at virtually every coursing event. How can we expect an industry that encompasses and condones such a practice to care about the fate of unwanted dogs?
John Fitzgerald
Issue of animal cruelty practices not misdirected, despite criticism
I would totally reject Keith Hamilton’s contention (Letters, Apr 6) that concern for circus animals is "pure sentimentality" and that the focus of protest groups addressing the issue of animal cruelty is somehow "misdirected", as in his view the loss of habit affecting wildlife ought to be a greater priority.
I accept that every nation should have in place effective conservation measures to ensure the protection of any species under threat.
I have spoken out repeatedly in the past in favour of prioritising the plight of the corncrake in Ireland and against the widespread snaring of badgers that has denuded some parts of the countryside of these nocturnal creatures.
But conservation and animal welfare are two separate issues.
If our legislators had considered badger baiting from only a conservationist point of view this appalling blood sport would still be legal, because at no time did it have any significant impact on the overall badger population.
The numbers tortured and savaged to death in the pits represented a tiny percentage of Ireland’s badger stocks.
It was banned on clearly defined animal welfare grounds, and not from any misguided feelings of sentimentality, to eliminate an act of cruelty that very few people would now condone or advocate as a legitimate sporting practice.
The objection to hare coursing and zoos is likewise based on well-founded concern for the welfare of the animals used.
There is abundant evidence that animals in circuses are ill-treated, apart altogether from the unnatural confinement and restrictions they endure, and the group I represent has numerous videos of hare coursing events showing hares being battered, mauled, and tossed about by the muzzled greyhounds.
Film footage of the "Irish Cup" event held in February is a case in point.
The scenes of mind-boggling cruelty captured leave little to the imagination. One’s reaction to such evidence is not characterised by sentimentalism, but by one’s common human decency and a genuine concern for the welfare of animals.
The ill-treatment of hares in coursing and of captive wildlife in circuses may have little relevance to the question of habitat loss affecting these species, but I would contend that any civilised society should outlaw such demonstrably cruel practices regardless of whether the victims are domesticated or wild.
John Fitzgerald
Ask An Taoiseach Enda Kenny to Ban Hare Coursing
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Campaign newsletter of the Irish Council Against Blood Sports
02. Anti-fur demo, May 1st, Dublin
03. Coveney considers gassing to be "humane"
04. Mauled hare cried out in distress: NPWS ranger
05. Southern Star asked to drop hunt reports
06. Phil Hogan "caught hares with us when he was young"
07. SHAME ON DEENIHAN AND HOGAN
08. Why foxes must be protected in Ireland
09. Panama bans hare coursing. When will Ireland follow?
10. A history of coursing bans
11. Ask Sinn Fein to restore anti-coursing stance
12. NPWS challenged over whaling exhibition
13. Greyhound grave uncovered in Limerick
14. Minister Deenihan poses with coursers
15. Anjelica Huston calls for fur farming ban in Ireland
16. Shane McEntee's coursing claims exposed as nonsense
17. Co Meath man sentenced over animal cruelty
18. New Poster: Ban Larsen Traps in Ireland
19. New ICABS "Ban Coursing" keyring
20. Priest in coursing booklet
21. Campaign Quotes
22. Letters to Editors
23. Petitions
Time: 11.45am sharp – 2pm
Where: Department of Agriculture, Kildare Street, Dublin 2
Southern Star Newspaper
Ilen Street
Skibbereen, Co. Cork
Ireland
Email: info@southernstar.ie
Minister for Arts, Heritage and Gaeltacht Affairs
Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht
23 Kildare Street
Dublin 2
CC: An Taoiseach - taoiseach@taoiseach.gov.ie
Tel: +353 (0)1 631 3802
Fax: +353 (0)1 661 1201
Minister for the Environment
Tel: +353 (0)1 888 2403
Email: minister@environ.ie
(CC: enda.kenny@finegael.ie;policy@finegael.ie)
Department of the Taoiseach,
Government Buildings,
Upper Merrion Street,
Dublin 2
Telephone: 01-6194020
Fax: 01-6764048
Email: taoiseach@taoiseach.gov.ie
Department of the Taoiseach,
Government Buildings,
Upper Merrion Street,
Dublin 2
Telephone: 01-6194020
Fax: 01-6764048
Email: taoiseach@taoiseach.gov.ie
Office of the Tanaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade,
Iveagh House,
80 St. Stephen’s Green,
Dublin 2.
Tel: 01 6183566 (Dail)
Tel: 01 408 2000 (Iveagh House)
Fax: 01 408 2400
Email: eamon.gilmore@oireachtas.ie
(If you have time, please compose your own personal letter.)
Department of Agriculture
Agriculture House,
Kildare Street, Dublin 2.
Email: minister@agriculture.gov.ie
Tel: 01-607 2884 or LoCall 1890-200510.
Fax: 01-661 1013.
http://www.oireachtas.ie/viewdoc.asp?fn=/documents/Members_emails/document1.htm
Dail Eireann
Leinster House
Kildare Street
Dublin 2.
New Zealand (1954)
Victoria, Australia (1964)
South Australia (1985)
Scotland (2004)
England and Wales (2004)
Northern Ireland (2011)
Panama (2012)
The Republic of Ireland (?)
Minister for Agriculture
Department of Agriculture
Agriculture House,
Kildare Street, Dublin 2.
Tel: 01-607 2884 or LoCall 1890-200510.
Fax: 01-661 1013.
http://www.oireachtas.ie/viewdoc.asp?fn=/documents/Members_emails/document1.htm
Dáil Éireann
Leinster House
Kildare Street
Dublin 2.
Department of the Taoiseach,
Government Buildings,
Upper Merrion Street,
Dublin 2
Telephone: 01-6194020
Fax: 01-6764048
Email: taoiseach@taoiseach.gov.ie
Office of the Tanaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade,
Iveagh House,
80 St. Stephen’s Green,
Dublin 2.
Tel: 01 6183566 (Dail)
Tel: 01 408 2000 (Iveagh House)
Fax: 01 408 2400
Email: eamon.gilmore@oireachtas.ie
Tel: (353) 1 8726100/8726932
Fax: (353) 1 8733441
National Parks & Wildlife Service,
Ballycroy Village,
Westport, Co. Mayo.
Email: ballycroyvisitorcentre@ahg.gov.ie
See photos of the dumped greyhounds
Tel: +353 (0)1 631 3802
http://www.scribd.com/banbloodsports/d/91227415
Minister for Arts, Heritage and Gaeltacht Affairs
Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht
23 Kildare Street
Dublin 2
[with a copy to taoiseach@taoiseach.gov.ie - An Taoiseach]
Tel: (01) 631 3802
Fax: (01) 661 1201
Metro Eireann, April 1, 2012
spokesperson, Irish Council Against Blood Sports
Irish Times, April 20, 2012
Knocklyon Heights,
Templeogue, Dublin 16.
Irish Examiner, April 19, 2012
The Ward, Co Dublin
Carlow Nationalist April 22nd.
Campaign for the Abolition Of Cruel Sports
Irish Examiner, April 21, 2012
Swords, Co Dublin
Sunday Independent, April 15 2012
Campaign for the Abolition Of Cruel Sports
Callan, Co Kilkenny
Irish Examiner, April 10, 2012
Campaign for the Abolition Of Cruel Sports
Callan, Co Kilkenny
Stop badger culling and focus on a vaccination programme in Ireland
The Arts Council of Ireland: Please stop funding circuses that carry animals
Stop the Bail-Out for Irish Dog Tracks
Lobby for the urgent need for updated Animal Welfare Legislation in Ireland
Petition Against Faroese Pilot Whale Hunts
Ban Larsen Traps & Multi Corvid Traps
Keep the ban on foxhunting in the UK
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