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Gardai asked to tackle crimes against animals
03 October 2007 The Irish Against Blood Sports has today appealed to the Gardai to establish a special unit to tackle illegal blood sports like cockfighting, badger baiting and dog fighting. In a letter to Garda Commissioner, Noel Conroy, we said that such a unit could greatly alleviate animal cruelty. "There is much animal suffering in modern Ireland - both from legal and illegal activities," we stated. "The formation of a high profile Garda unit to combat the illegal aspect would be an enormous help in reducing cruelty to animals. Such units have proved very popular with members of the public in other jurisdictions as they facilitate priority reporting of animal-related crimes." "We would like to see some of the focus of this unit being directed towards illegal blood sports such as cockfighting, badger baiting and dog fighting and also tackling illegal activities such as blooding of greyhounds and the use of unlawful traps and snares," we added. ICABS hopes that the Gardai will give serious consideration to our appeal during World Animal Week and direct more resources into apprehending those who breach the Protection of Animals Act. Until such a central, animal-specific unit is formed, please report crimes against animals to your local Garda station. ACTION ALERT If you have any information about animal cruelty, please contact the Gardai immediately. The phone numbers of Garda stations all over Ireland can be found at www.garda.ie. If you are aware of cruelty to a protected wild animal, please contact your local National Parks and Wildlife Service conservation ranger (phone numbers and email addresses available from the NPWS - natureconservation@environ.ie or telephone 01-8882000 / LoCall 1890-202021). Another option is the ISPCA National Cruelty Helpline - 1890 515 515. Please also notify ICABS for help and advice. View a Video
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