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Pinned hare seen "hanging limp" from greyhound's mouth
26 August 2010
A hare pinned into the ground by two greyhounds was caught and carried away in the mouth of one of the dogs. A wildlife ranger observing the Trim coursing meeting last November said that the greyhound ran up the field with the "hare hanging limp".
"Two dogs pinned hare to ground and one dog was able to catch hare in its mouth and run up the field with hare hanging limp," the ranger noted. "The muzzle was ineffective or not tight enough."
The report also reveals that eight hares were hit at the meeting with two "possibly" killed. Also noted was that tags attached to the ears of hares were coming off and infecting the ears.
At a previous meeting of Trim coursing club, a ranger noted that "the odd hare will cry out while being handled when the ear tag is being identified, causing more stress to the animal". At another, a ranger recorded that 10 hares were hit by dogs over the two days of coursing with 5 injured (one of which died as a result).
ICABS is calling on landowners in Meath - and around Ireland - to show compassion for the persecuted hare species and prevent coursers from capturing hares from their land. The licence issued to the coursers does NOT give them the right to enter land without permission so if a trespass occurs on your land, please contact the Gardai immediately. The contact details for Garda Stations can be found on www.garda.ie
| A disturbing scene from an Irish coursing event showing an unmuzzled greyhound biting into the body of a hare. This image is not from the above mentioned Trim coursing meeting but conveys the suffering caused to the hare there. |
ACTION ALERT 1
Make your land a sanctuary for hares and other wildlife
If you are a landowner, please download, laminate and display copies of our poster - "Hare Sanctuary - No Coursing, No Netting, No Hunting". Thank you very much.
Download the poster now
(pdf, 92kb)
ACTION ALERT 2
Urge Minister John Gormley to stop licensing coursing. Send a copy of your correspondence to all of your TDs and encourage them to back a ban on the blood sport.
Minister John Gormley
Department of the Environment, Custom House, Dublin 1.
Email: minister@environ.ie
[CC taoiseach@taoiseach.gov.ie - An Taoiseach, Brian Cowen]
Tel: 01 888 2403. Fax: 01 878 8640.
Find out the names of your TDs and their email addresses
http://www.oireachtas.ie/members%2Dhist/default.asp?housetype=0&HouseNum=30&disp=const
http://www.oireachtas.ie/viewdoc.asp?DocID=12684&&CatID=138
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.)
Dear Minister Gormley,
I am disappointed to learn that you have issued a licence to the Irish Coursing Club for another season of coursing cruelty.
In coursing, hares continue to die at all stages - during the capture, during the time they are kept in captivity, during the coursing meetings and also subsequent to their release back to the wild. Such deaths have been documented by your NPWS division. These timid and fragile creatures die as a result of physical injuries or from the stress caused by human handling and being chased by greyhounds.
I urge you to act on the wishes of the electorate who want this activity outlawed. Please stop licensing coursing.
Thank you, Minister.
Yours sincerely,
[Name/Location]
Campaign Videos: Ban Coursing in Ireland
More ICABS Videos
Slideshow: the cruelty of hare coursing in Ireland
Further Reading
The Facts About Hare Coursing
Stress and Capture Myopathy in Hares
Irish Hare: "conservation status is poor"
Hares and rabbits factsheet
More information about hare coursing
Coursing: Leaflet | Photos | Videos | Petition
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