Make this the last ever hare coursing season Join our special appeal to all Irish TDs and Senators 17th September, 2003 It has been banned in Scotland. It looks likely to be banned in England and Wales. Now Ireland is set to become one of the last remaining countries in the world to allow live hare coursing. This despite the fact that successive opinion polls since the 1960s have shown that a majority of Irish people want coursing made illegal. The most recent poll shows that eight in ten want this blood sport banned. In 1993, the muzzling of greyhounds in enclosed coursing was introduced. As predicted by ICABS at the time, muzzling has failed to eliminate the cruelty from coursing. For the upcoming coursing season, around 10,000 hares will be snatched from the wild and chased by greyhounds. Some of the hares will be battered and mauled into the ground by the dogs. Some will sustain injuries so severe that they will die on the coursing fields. All will suffer the fear and stress of running for their lives. We are telling the Irish Government that it is now time to replace live hare coursing with drag coursing. This would involve a simple transition from the use of live hares to the use of a mechanical lure. This lure is rapidly pulled along the ground and, through a system of pulleys, is made to emulate the sudden changes in direction made by hares. Drag coursing is practised successfully in several countries around the world, including the USA, Canada and Australia where live hare coursing is illegal. We desperately need your help. Please write to all of your local politicians and ask them to express their opposition to coursing. If possible, get your friends and family to contact them too. We need as much help with this campaign as possible. Write to your TD at: Dáil Éireann, 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 information on writing to politicians, including email addresses and a sample letter, please visit our Politicians page.

Pictured is one of the victims of coursing in Ireland. This dead hare was photographed inside a coursing enclosure in County Cavan. During the upcoming 2003/2004 coursing season, around 10,000 hares will be snatched from the wild and made run for their lives in front of greyhounds.

Coursing: Further Information

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Sign the "Ban Hare Coursing" petition

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View video clips of coursing cruelty in Ireland

View videos
View video clips of drag coursing, the humane alternative