"The hosting of this animal cruelty in Millstreet town park represents a major black mark against a town that has so many positive attractions and associations," we stated in an email. "Hare coursing subjects these delicate, timid creatures to an appalling ordeal. They are torn from their habitats in nets, manhandled into crates, kept in captivity for weeks/months and finally forced to run for their lives in front of pairs of greyhounds."

"It reflects poorly on Millstreet that this internationally condemned cruelty has been allowed to take place in your town," we added.

 ACTION ALERT 

Join our appeal to Aine Collins TD to speak out against hare coursing in Millstreet and back calls for an end to cruelty in the town park.

Deputy Aine Collins
Email: aine.collins@oir.ie
Telephone: 01-6183873
Fax: 01-6184522
Twitter: @AineCollinsTD
Facebook: www.facebook.com/aine.collins.fg

Urge Millstreet-based Fine Gael Councillor, Noel Buckley, to support calls for coursing to be ended in Millstreet town park.

Cllr Noel Buckley
Ballyvouskil,
Millstreet, County Cork.

Email: noel.buckley@corkcoco.ie
Tel: 029 70322
Mobile: 087 779 7422
Fax: 029 71170

Contact the Millstreet Town Park Chairman, William O’Leary (Tel: 029–71171) and urge him to prohibit any further coursing from taking place in the town park.

10. Ask Sinn Fein to modernise its outdated animal welfare stance

Sinn Fein TD, Martin Ferris, has again outlined his support for cruel hare coursing.

"Some people are straightforwardly opposed to racing and coursing of greyhounds. It is not a position I or my party share," the Kerry TD stated during a Dail discussion on the Animal Health and Welfare Bill on September 19th.

Witness the coursing cruelty that Deputy Ferris finds acceptable http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL741E0B6DA3CBB057

 ACTION ALERT 

Call on Sinn Fein to modernise its outdated animal welfare policies.

Sinn Fein
44 Parnell Square
Dublin 1
Tel: 01 8726100/8726932
Email: admin@sinnfein.ie

11. "I am no fan of coursing": RTE presenter, Pat Kenny

A new ICABS online poster highlights a past statement made by RTE radio and television presenter Pat Kenny that he is no fan of hare coursing.

See the poster at http://www.scribd.com/doc/107162279

12. Renewed appeal to Alan Shatter to push for blood sports ban

Former ICABS President, and current Minister for Justice, Equality and Defence, Alan Shatter, has again been urged to push for bans on foxhunting and hare coursing.

On his website, Minister Shatter proudly notes that he was "for many years President of the Irish Council against Blood Sports". He is on record as saying "I am totally opposed to hunting wild animals with dogs" and has in the past called for a ban on hare coursing.

In 1993, he defied the party whip to support the late Deputy Tony Gregory’s Bill which aimed to outlaw coursing.

QUOTES: Alan Shatter and Blood Sports

"I am totally opposed to hunting wild animals with dogs."

"Would the Minister agree that many people regard hare coursing as an offensive, obscene and particularly primitive sporting activity? ... Could I urge him to consider introducing legislation to ban live hare coursing? I suggest that the Minister would agree that hare coursing is as primitive a sport as bull-fighting and cock-fighting, both of which are prohibited under our legislation." Dail Questions and Answers (Hare Coursing) - 8 June 1983.

 ACTION ALERT 

Contact Minister Alan Shatter now. Encourage him, as a former ICABS president and anti-bloodsports TD, to use his influence to push for a ban on hunting and coursing.

Minister Alan Shatter
Department of Justice, Equality and Defence
94 St. Stephen's Green, Dublin 2

Email: alan.shatter@oireachtas.ie
CC: enda.kenny@finegael.ie
Tel: 01-618 3911 or 01-602 8202
Lo-Call: 1890 221-227
Fax: 01-661 5461

13. Activists in city hall protest over dog welfare issues

The Irish Times - September 11, 2012

Animal rights campaigners staged a demonstration at Cork’s City Hall last night to voice concerns over welfare standards at the Cork Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (CSPCA).

The protest, organised by the Friends of Animals in CSPCA group, coincided with the resumption of bimonthly council meetings. The group is calling for the dog warden and dog pound contract operated by the CSPCA on behalf of Cork City Council to be put to tender.

Vet inspections on behalf of the local authority have noted a series of shortcomings in paperwork and policy at the CSPCA shelter, which operators claimed to have rectified.

14. It's time for foxhunters to get off their high horses

by Fiona O'Connell
Sunday Independent, September 23 2012

As 'Lay of the Land,' I'm a dish served up on a platter of print in the Sunday Independent every week. Unfortunately, some diners have developed moral indigestion, with the Hunting Association of Ireland (HAI) suggesting that my 'rural' column falls foul of the Trade Descriptions Act.

This criticism was made following a piece I wrote about 'cubbing', as foxhunters refer to their 'sport' of setting packs of hounds on fox cubs. Well, pardon me, but this isn't something you're likely to see on any city high street. The situation I outlined is accurate.

Maybe the HAI, being the national body that coordinates and promotes hunting with hounds, just doesn't like me saying things the way they are.

Allow me the same liberty to measure their 'sport' against the Trade Descriptions Act. For most people, sport is generally a contest between a willing set of players, who compete on a level playing field. How does that match up to people on horseback and foot, armed with whips and packs of hounds, blocking up an unwilling opponent's escape outlets in advance? Or trapping hares and forcing them to endure trauma and potentially fatal injuries from being chased by huge dogs?

However, foxhunting does introduce a novel phenomenon to the athletic world. Move over 'bad loser' and say hello to 'rotten winner'. What other 'sport' defines victory by ripping its opponent to shreds?

As for privilege, I wield no greater weapon than an ageing laptop. What about the foxhunter's privileged position on his high horse, or armed with guns?

The HAI believes blood 'sports' are justified because they're a tradition "that goes back through history for centuries." So what? So did witch hunts and slavery.

You know what else is a tradition? Standing up for the underdog.

This is especially relevant, now that animals have been recognised by EU law as 'sentient beings' that can suffer and feel pain.

Hunters may "live for their weekend hunting." But should that give them the right to allow suffering animals to die for it?

All my columns are not about animals. But strangely, the HAI doesn't seem to find these other pieces noteworthy.

Here's the deal. I'll write about the proliferation of ragwort, as the HAI helpfully suggest, if they stop giving me reasons to focus on animal cruelty.

Fortunately, like the HAI, I can speak up for myself. It's a privilege we share.

The tragedy is that other creatures on this island cannot.

15. The cruelty of South Africa's canned hunting industry

The life of a lion in the canned hunting industry
by Maurice Fernandez

A few days after the lion is born, it is taken from its mother. The mother is taken away and made pregnant again, her sole purpose is to be a breeding machine for the trophy hunting outfitter. She spends her whole life giving birth and having her cubs ripped away from her, and she never gets the chance to be a mother. Once her body is useless and can no longer have cubs she is either offered to be shot for a bargain price or just thrown in for free as part of another hunt.

When the cub is taken from its mother it is sent to a petting zoo or a volunteer project, where tourists pay to interact with the cubs. This is very distressing for the cubs who have no means of getting away. Cats sleep a lot and cubs especially, but they cannot do this because of being constantly picked up for photographs. Volunteers pay thousands of dollars to work on projects that promise that they will be one day released. Volunteers do not care to do any research and realise that any hand-raised lion in South Africa cannot be released. These volunteers believe they are doing a good thing but they are just filling the pockets of these murderers and keeping this sick industry alive.

Once the lion is no longer a cub it is sent back to the trophy hunting farm, where it can grow into a suitable trophy for a tourist to shoot. When it comes time for the lion to be shot, it is released into the larger enclosure. The killers drive around the enclosure looking for the tame, hand-raised lion. Meat is often hung out and they wait for the lion to start eating and then open fire as it eats.

I have seen many videos of these hunts and they are shocking. Any person who takes part in one of these hunts is a disgrace to the human race. Often the tame lion will be under a tree and as it sees the people approach it just glances over and glances away, as it does not see people as a threat. The cowards open fire and take pleasure in watching the animal roll around the ground in agony, then watch the life drain out of its body.

Find out more: www.whitelions.org

Sign a petition

16. Letters to Editors

‘Sport of hunting’ a barbaric ritual
Sunday Independent, September 23 2012

Madam -- Philip Donnelly's attempts to ridicule Fiona O'Connell's article depicting the brutal reality of the so-called "sport of hunting" is to be expected -- given his position as chairman of the Hunting Association. Unsurprisingly, this organisation regularly seeks to defend its barbaric rituals under the guise of them being a "valued part of our unique and country heritage". (Sunday Independent, September 16).

Mr Donnelly apparently has some concerns that Ms O'Connell might run the risk of boring your readers, and that much of what she wrote could be interpreted as fictional. There is no make-believe in watching an animal being hunted to the death, and using young cubs as bait to blood the hounds. Inflicting such suffering on defenceless animals is surely abhorrent to someone who considers themselves a member of the human race.

It is difficult to conceive how anyone with a vestige of compassion could find enjoyment in this brutality.

Mark Twain best described hunting when he observed "of all the creatures ever born, man is the most despicable of the brood, he inflicts pain knowing it to be pain and calls it sport."

Ed Twohig, Glounthaune, Co Cork

Badger culling and tackling TB
The Irish Times, September 19, 2012

Sir, – Following the commencement of badger culling in Britain this week it is worth pointing out that since culling began in Ireland in 1984, 90,000 badgers have been killed in this country. Up to 80 per cent of these animals are healthy and so pose no threat to cattle herds. Meanwhile, the incidence of bovine TB (bTB) has not fallen dramatically over this period.

The Irish Wildlife Trust has been campaigning for an end to the Department of Agriculture’s indiscriminate culling programme that sees up to 6,000 snares set in the countryside every evening. We believe this programme is a threat to the conservation of this beautiful animal that is an iconic part of our natural heritage.

This summer the Northern Ireland Executive announced that it would be testing badgers in the field and only killing those that are infected with bTB. We would support this approach, which would not only protect badgers but would be beneficial in controlling the spread of the disease among cattle. It is hoped that our Minister for Agriculture will see the sense in this approach and have the courage to immediately change a policy that is not working.

Padraic Fogarty,
Chairman, Irish Wildlife Trust,
Lagan Road, Dublin 11.

New Oireachtas petitions system
Waterford Today, 19th September 2012

Dear Editor,

As a believer in democracy, I welcome the new Oireachtas petitions system whereby any of us can petition the Oireachtas on issues of public concern. But I would question whether members of the Committee to which the petitions will be presented will be capable of dealing with each issue strictly on its own merits. My concern arises from the fact that the Joint Committee on Public Service and Petitions is, like all other Oireachtas committees, composed of politicians ...TDs and Senators.

I would love to think that each of the politicians on the Committee will address the concerns of petitioners fairly and with forensic objectivity, but past experience does not inspire confidence in that regard.

My fear is that they may be tempted to approach each issue from their own party political perspectives or prejudices, or with an eye to electoral considerations.

If, for example, an issue of great controversy has to be considered by the Committee, can politicians really be trusted to put aside their own feelings and act in the public interest? Will the fear of losing votes militate against a given course of action, as it does in relation to just about every issue that politicians have to deal with?

In 1984, a motion to the Oireachtas Joint legislative committee calling for an investigation into the cruelty of live hare coursing was rejected by committee members by a margin of nine votes to six. This was the result, despite the fact that the committee had received thousands of letters from the public supporting the proposed investigation and less than a dozen opposing it.

TDs with coursing clubs in their constituencies had voted down the motion. I only mention this because I was involved with campaigning on that issue at the time. It offered me an insight into how the political process operates in Ireland.

I would be in favour of an oath of some kind to be taken by the Oireachtas Committee members to ensure that they will NOT be swayed by party policies or dictates or electoral self-interest when considering petitions, and the publication in full of the specific reasons why any given petition has been rejected by the Committee.

Otherwise, the entire procedure will be suspect and may come to be seen as mere political window-dressing posing as an exercise in democracy.

Yours etc.,

John Fitzgerald
Callan, Co Kilkenny.

17. Campaign Quotes

"Ultimately a great nation is a compassionate nation." Martin Luther King

"Our society hasn’t yet appreciated what is at stake for human beings. Cruelty is not just a vice; it is a social vice. There is a well-established link between animal abuse and human violence supported by hundreds of psychological, medical, sociological, and statistical studies. A world in which animal cruelty goes unchecked is bound to be a less morally safe world for human beings." Professor Andrew Linzey, a theologian at Oxford University and director of the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics, 27 September 2012

France’s Constitutional Council on Friday rejected a request by animal rights campaigners to ban bullfighting, which is legal in certain regions of southern France. Anti-bullfighting group CRAC said they would appeal a ruling that was "politically motivated" and "proved that the Constitutional Council is anything but independent". "How can this possibly be a logical decision when the majority of people in France support a ban?" CRAC President Jean-Pierre Garrigues told FRANCE 24, pointing out that a CSA poll carried out this week showed 57 percent of French people in favour of a ban. from Bullfighting remains legal in France, France 24, 21/09/2012

"Veronica [Guerin] was shown the Molloy [murdered parish priest, Fr Niall Molloy] police file by her underworld source, John Traynor. He came to have it after it was stolen by his associate, Martin Cahill, from the DPP's office in 1987. The file contained handwritten letters from the trial judge Frank Roe to the then DPP Eamonn Barnes saying he knew the parties in the case. Two of the judge's former colleagues have confirmed this to be the case, and say Frank Roe, a keen horseman, knew the Flynns and Fr Molloy through fox-hunting circles." from Journalist's fight to solve the murder of Fr Molloy, Sunday Independent, September 23 2012

It was a debate that divided the council. The motion: To introduce by-laws or measures in the borough to prevent circuses that use wild animals from performing here. Green Party Cllr Malcolm Noonan said there was well-documented evidence of serious animal welfare issues arising from the practice. In the end, one Fine Gael councillor broke ranks to support the motion, but ultimately it was the votes of his party colleagues, coupled with those of the Fianna Fail members that defeated it. from "Circus debate was intense, but motion was defeated", Kilkenny People 27 September 2012

"The new AVIVA Insurance greyhound based advertisement was launched on National TV and should bring further attention to the attraction of greyhound racing." from Aviva goes to the dogs, Irish Greyhound Board website. Sign the petition: Tell AVIVA Ireland not to Promote Greyhound Racing

Kilkenny Borough Councillor David Fitzgerald (Fine Gael) voiced his opinion on the matter. "I will disagree with my party colleagues," he said. "In my reading of this, it is the use of ‘wild’ animals – not dogs and ponies – and I believe that it is unsatisfactory and not helpful in this day and age. This is not an attack on circuses; it is specifically about the use of wild animals and I would not like to see the return of wild tigers, lions or elephants." from "Circus debate was intense, but motion was defeated", Kilkenny People 27 September 2012

"Moves to import four rare white lions to the Tayto Park (Zoo) in County Meath are expected to go ahead subject to the centre passing the National Parks and Wildlife Service's annual inspection later this month. The 55 acre site...has been licensed as a zoo since last summer." Irish Daily Mail, September 4th, 2012. Ask the National Parks and Wildlife Service to prevent the importation of lions from South Africa. The animals will be 9,500 Kilometres away from their homeland and forced to live a life in captivity. National Parks & Wildlife Service, Tel: +353-1-888 3242. Email: nature.conservation@ahg.gov.ie

Irish Wildlife Rehabilitation Conference 2012, Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th of September in the Pillo Hotel, Ashbourne, Co Meath. This is an opportunity for anyone with an interest in wildlife welfare and/or conservation to learn more about treating wildlife casualties; wildlife natural history & conservation; post release monitoring; and wildlife crime. This year we have an additional special session on badgers, a timely and topical session on red squirrels, and a detailed hedgehog session. http://www.activelink.ie/node/10199

18. Petitions

Ban Blood Sports in Ireland Now
Ask An Taoiseach Enda Kenny to Ban Hare Coursing
Stop sponsoring hare coursing in Ireland
End Cruel Blood Sport of Fox Hunting in Ireland
Tell AVIVA Ireland not to Promote Greyhound Racing in Advertisements
Stop badger culling and focus on a vaccination programme in Ireland
Don't Show Bullfights on Public TV!
Stop Venezuela From Fishing With Cats And Kittens
Help End Illegal Trade of Endangered Animal Parts
Stop bear baiting in Pakistan
Save the Goats of Khokana
Stop the Bail-Out for Irish Dog Tracks
Lobby for the urgent need for updated Animal Welfare Legislation in Ireland
Ban the use of animals in Irish circuses
Ask Amazon to stop selling cruel traps
Petition Against Faroese Pilot Whale Hunts
Ban Larsen Traps & Multi Corvid Traps
Keep the ban on foxhunting in the UK
Urge the Sint Maarten Government to Keep Cock Fighting Illegal
Say NO to the cruel Toro de Fuego ("bull on fire") event in Spain
Protect Elephants from Ivory Poaching
Stop Bear Farming In Asia
1 Million to Ban the Lion Trade

Make a donation to ICABS

Please consider making a small donation to ICABS. For more details, please click on the button below or follow this link to find out how to become a campaign supporter. Thank you.

Top ways you can help the campaign

Top ways you can help the campaign
•	Join our email list and respond to our Action Alerts
•	Become a campaign supporter and make a donation to help fund our efforts
•	Contact your local politicians and ask them to support a ban on blood sports
•	Be our friend on Facebook, MySpace, Bebo, Twitter and Youtube
•	Sign up for our free text alert service and receive occasional campaign updates to your phone
•	Link to our website and display one of our banners
•	Monitor blood sports meetings in your area and provide us with photos, video and reports.
•	Write a letter to your local newspaper about the cruelty of blood sports
•	Sign and collect signatures for our petitions
•	Organise a fund-raiser to help raise funds for the campaign
•	Set up an online anti-blood sports group (Myspace, Bebo, Facebook, etc) to cover your area.
•	Download, print and display our posters and leaflets
•	Set up an information stand at your school/library/youth group/adult group, etc
•	Introduce your friends to our website and encourage them to get involved.
•	Simply keeping your ear to the ground. about any blood-sport related incidents in your area.

Keep hunters off your land

Make it known publicly that your land is off-limits to hunters. Place a preservation notice in your local newspaper now. Here is a sample notice that you may wish to use: "Take notice that all my lands at [Insert address(es) of land] are private and preserved day and night. All forms of hunting and shooting are strictly prohibited. Trespassers will be prosecuted. Signed [Insert name(s) of landowner]" For more information, click on Farmers at www.banbloodsports.com

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.

Animal Voice - Subscribe

To receive "Animal Voice" by email every month, please send "Animal Voice - Subscribe" to info@banbloodsports.com

Make a donation to ICABS

Please consider making a small donation to ICABS. For more details, please click on the button below or follow this link to find out how to become a campaign supporter. Thank you.

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