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New mobile campaign video
04 March 2008

Now you can use your mobile phone to help expose the cruelty of foxhunting. Download our new campaign video on to your 3G phone or mp3/mp4 player and play it to your friends, family and workmates. Ask them to join the call on the government to ban this deplorable blood sport.

mp4 player and mobile phone showing video scenes
Spread the word about foxhunting cruelty. Download our mobile videos on to your phone or portable media player and introduce as many people as possible to the campaign against this appalling blood sport.

Ban Foxhunting in Ireland - 3gp video
(3gp file, 57 seconds, 1.2 Mb)

  1. Download Now on to your PC and transfer to your compatible 3G mobile phone *.
  2. Download directly on to your 3G mobile phone - enter the Internet or Web menu of your phone and input http://homepage.eircom.net/~icabs3/fh.3gp (This is a free video but you will be charged your standard network rate for connecting/downloading. Please check with your service provider for rates before downloading).
  3. Show the video to as many people as possible
  4. Ask them to contact their local TDs, Senators and Councillors with the message: "I support a ban on foxhunting in Ireland".

* Tip: Right click on the Download Now link with your mouse
and choose "Save Target As..." or "Save Link As..."

Ban Foxhunting in Ireland - mp4 video
(mp4 file, 57 seconds, 5.9 Mb)

  1. Download Now and transfer on to your mp4 player (or mp3 player with video playing capability) *.
  2. Show the video to as many people as possible
  3. Ask them to contact their local TDs, Senators and Councillors with the message: "I support a ban on foxhunting in Ireland".

* Tip: Right click on the Download Now link with your mouse
and choose "Save Target As..." or "Save Link As..."

Video Preview

To preview the video, please click on the link below.

Download .3gp file and transfer to your compatible 3G mobile phone.
Download .mp4 file and transfer on to your mp4/mp3 player.

ACTION ALERT 1

Please make a special appeal to Trevor Sargent TD, Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture where new animal welfare legislation is currently being drafted. ICABS welcomed a statement from Minister Sargent last year in which he assured us that the new legislation will "ensure that the welfare of animals is properly protected". Please appeal to him to prioritise fox protection in the new act.

Trevor Sargent TD
Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture
Email: tsargent@greenparty.ie
Tel: 01-6183465 (Dail)
Fax: 01-8900361

Dear Minister Sargent,

As one of the two thirds majority of Irish people who want foxhunting banned, I appeal to you to please ensure that foxes are afforded full protection from hunting groups in the new animal welfare legislation being drafted. Please do everything in your power to finally bring foxhunting to an end and protect foxes from this horrendous abuse.

Thank you. I look forward to your response.

Yours sincerely,

[Name/Location]

ACTION ALERT 2

Urge the Minister for Agriculture to protect foxes and all wild creatures from unnecessary cruelty.

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

Dear Minister Coughlan,

I appeal to your sense of compassion to urgently intervene to save foxes from the barbarism of foxhunting. This blood sport is an abhorrent assault on our wildlife heritage and a complete ban is long overdue. Please ensure that Ireland's new animal welfare legislation includes protection for foxes.

Thank you. I look forward to your response.

Yours sincerely,

[Name/Location]

ACTION ALERT 3

Please urgently appeal to your local politicians

Please join us in telling all of Ireland's TDs that it is now time to replace foxhunting with the humane alternative - drag hunting.

Drag hunting sees the hounds chasing an artificial lure instead of a live animal. This form of "hunting" is already practised successfully by a few groups in Ireland. In a modern and civilised country like Ireland, there should be no place for foxhunting, particularly when a transition to drag hunting would be simple.

Please stand up for the foxes so cruelly abused by hunting groups - write to all of your local politicians and ask them to act to secure a ban on foxhunting. If possible, get your friends, family and workmates to contact them too. We need as much help with this campaign as possible.

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 - http://www.oireachtas.ie/members-hist.

ACTION ALERT 4

Contact Ireland's forestry board, Coillte, and demand an end to foxhunting on its property.

Sample Letter (If you have time, please compose your own personal letter. Otherwise, send the short sample letter below. Be assertive, but polite, in all correspondence. Thank you.)

Mr. David Gunning
Chief Executive Officer
Coillte, The Irish Forestry Board
Newtownmountkennedy, Co Wicklow

Email: pr@coillte.ie
Tel: 01-201 1111
Fax: 01-201 1199

Dear Mr Gunning,

As an Irish citizen, and thereby a shareholder in Coillte, I am writing to demand an end to foxhunting on Coillte property.

I understand that Coillte currently issues permits to a number of foxhunts to carry out blood sport activities in forests. Considering the appalling cruelty of foxhunting and the fact that a majority of Irish people want it outlawed, the time has come for Coillte to do the decent thing and make all of its property off limits to foxhunting groups.

Thank you. I look forward to your positive reply.

Yours sincerely,

[Name/Location]

The physio fate of hunted foxes

What happens to foxes as they are chased by a pack of hounds? Research carried out by the United States Department of Agriculture provides some answers.

Their study investigated the physiological stress responses in foxes pursued for approximately 5 minutes by dogs and then killed.

Autopsies performed on the foxes revealed haemorrhage of the heart and lungs and congestion of adrenal glands and kidneys. Blood analysis showed high levels of enzymes that reflect tissue damage. Edema, discoloration, haemorrhage and inflammation were found in muscle tissue.

The study also observed that the foxes had experienced a breakdown of muscle tissue caused by the exertion of the chase. This is often followed by brain damage, paralysis and death, meaning that even foxes which evade capture are at risk.

Videos: Drag Hunting - The humane alternative

Photos: Fox hunting cruelty

Please click on the pictures to view them in full-size.

More information about blood sports

Foxhunting: Leaflet | Photos | Videos | Petition
Coursing: Leaflet | Photos | Videos | Petition
Carted deer hunting: Leaflet | Photos | Videos | Petition

Make a donation to ICABS

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