ISPCA joins calls for hunt ban 31 January 2007 Ireland's national animal welfare organisation, the ISPCA, has joined calls for hunting to be banned. Describing fox hunting and stag hunting as "a despicable form of deliberate cruelty", the society has urged the government to "take immediate steps to ban all forms of hunting with hounds". Please see below for the full text of the ISPCA statement. ISPCA calls for a ban on the barbaric "sport" of stag and fox hunting (Press Release, Jan 25th 2007) The ISPCA regards the hunting of any animal as a despicable form of deliberate cruelty where animals are terrorised and chased to exhaustion to provide entertainment. Stag hunting goes one step further in the cruelty stakes as the stags are bred and reared in captivity and released in unfamiliar terrain where they literally run for their lives. The reality of this horrific past time was witnessed by children leaving school on Tuesday afternoon as an exhausted blood stained terrified stag, with its tongue hanging out, tried to jump the school wall in County Meath to escape the frenzied hounds of the Ward Union Hunt. The trauma of this experience was heightened for the children by the horses skidding on the roadway putting both horses and the general public at risk of injury. The Hunts Men were obviously not in control of either the hounds or the members of the hunt considering what happened. This was a breach of the Control of Dogs Act and a serious road traffic hazard which could have caused a serious accident. The Society is receiving more and more complaints from the farming community about the stress caused to farm animals by hounds hunting through flocks of heavily pregnant sheep and other livestock at this time of year. The ISPCA calls on our Legislators to take immediate steps to Ban all forms of hunting with hounds. A banner displayed on the ISPCA website (www.ispca.ie) emphasising their opposition to blood sports. URGENT ACTION ALERTS Please contact Minister Dick Roche and demand that he revoke the Ward Union Hunt's current licence and stop issuing any further licences. Urge him also to stop licensing hare hunting and hare coursing. Minister Dick Roche Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government Custom House Dublin 1. Email: minister@environ.ie Tel: +353 (0)1-8882403 LoCall: 1890-202021 Fax: +353 (0)1-8788640. Please appeal to Minister Mary Coughlan (she is responsible for animal welfare and the Protection of Animals Act) to intervene to end carted deer hunting and all forms of hunting with hounds. Minister Mary Coughlan Department of Agriculture Agriculture House, Kildare Street, Dublin 2. Tel: 01-607 2000 or LoCall 1890-200510. Fax: 01-661 1013. Email: mary.coughlan@oireachtas.ie Please also contact your local TDs/Senators and urge them to work for an end to all blood sports. Contact your TD at: Dail Eireann, Leinster House, Kildare Street, Dublin 2. Tel: 01-618 3000 or 1890 337 889. Contact 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.oireachtas.ie/members-hist. Tune in to the ICABS Channel Footage of blood sport cruelty and the humane alternatives can now be viewed on the new ICABS Channel on Youtube. We believe that this is a powerful resource for highlighting to the world the ugly reality of blood sports in Ireland and we hope it will increase the level of support for our campaign. Please tune in to the ICABS Channel today at www.youtube.com/icabs News Menu | Join | Top | Home