Majority want live hare coursing banned 27 January 2006 80 per cent of Irish people agree that, despite the muzzling of greyhounds, hare coursing is a blood sport which should be banned. If you are one of this majority, please join us in urging the government to ban coursing now and give full protection to the Irish Hare. ICABS has recently renewed its appeal to Environment Minister, Dick Roche, to stop licensing hare coursing in Ireland. With the blood sport stopped in our neighbouring jurisdictions, it is now time for the Irish Republic to finally ban it also. Please follow our action item below and get as many others to do so too. Action Item Please contact Environment Minister, Dick Roche, and demand an end to coursing in Ireland. Tell the Minister that hares should be allowed to live free from the cruelty of coursing. Please also contact your local TDs and urge them to work for an end to coursing and all blood sports. Minister Dick Roche Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government Custom House Dublin 1 Tel: +353 (0)1-8882403 Fax: +353 (0)1-8788640 Email: minister@environ.ie Write to your TD at: Dail Eireann, Leinster House, Kildare Street, Dublin 2. Tel: 01-618 3000 or 1890 337 889. Write to your Senator at: Seanad Eireann, Leinster House, Kildare Street, Dublin 2. Tel: 01-618 3000 or 1890 732 623. For the names and contact details of politicians, please visit the Irish Government Website at www.irlgov.ie. Photos: Coursing Cruelty A courser looks on as a pair of hares run along the inside of a coursing enclosure. Thousands of Irish hares are incarcerated like this by coursing clubs every year. Greyhounds chase a hare during a coursing meeting. The stress of running for their lives leaves hares vulnerable to the potentially fatal capture myopathy condition. (Photo: Tomas Coppinger) A greyhound hits a hare head-first into the ground during a coursing meeting. Hares hit in this way can suffer broken bones and fatal internal injuries. A courser holds a dead hare by its back legs. Every coursing season sees hares being killed by greyhounds. Hares kept captive in a coursing field. After being snatched from the wild, hares are kept in captivity for up to two months before the start of the coursing meeting. Coursing: More Information Coursing opposed by eight in ten - Successive opinion polls have shown that a huge majority of Irish people want hare coursing banned. The most recent poll showed that the blood sport is opposed by a majority in both urban and rural areas. Photo: Captive hares in coursing enclosure - 18 November 2005 Coursing fixtures list revealed - 13 October 2005 Coursers get licence for 2005-06 season - 14 September 2005 Is Ireland in breach of EU Habitats Directive? - 07 July 2005 Green Party leader, Trevor Sargent, has questioned the Environment Minister about the possibility of Ireland being in breach of the EU Habitats Directive by allowing hare coursing. Hares and Rabbits Fact Sheet - 24 June 2005 Hares and rabbits have an important place in Ireland's biodiversity. Learn all about these fascinating mammals in a new fact sheet by Mike Rendle of the Irish Hare Initiative. Animal Voice - June 2005 Special edition focusing entirely on the plight of the Irish Hare. Read on to find out about the growing concern for this "threatened" and "declining" species. Plus a selection of disturbing reports from hare coursing meetings. The Impact of Enclosed Hare Coursing on Irish hares - 28 April 2005 A report by the Irish Hare Initiative Species Action Plan - 31 March 2005 The draft version of the Species Action Plan for the Irish Hare. National Survey of Hares Tender Specification and additional details Stress and Capture Myopathy in Hares - 28 January 2005 A report by the Irish Hare Initiative Coursing: Photos and Video For photos and video clips showing the cruelty of coursing, please visit our Ban Hare Coursing website. News Menu | Join | Top | Home