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Priest presented trophy at coursing meeting
28 September 2010
ICABS has brought to the attention of the Irish Bishops Conference a priest who presented a trophy at a coursing meeting earlier this year.
According to a report on an Irish coursing website, "Fr Dan Greene" presented a trophy following the "Glencar Stakes for bitches" at the Tipperary and District coursing meeting in February 2010.
Photos on the website show hares desperately running for their lives in front of muzzled greyhounds.
In our correspondence, ICABS urged the Irish Bishops Conference to act to end clergy association with coursing. We pointed to the Catholic Catechism which makes it clear that 'it is contrary to human dignity to cause animals to suffer and die needlessly.'
In coursing, hares do indeed suffer as reports obtained by ICABS under the Freedom of Information Act show.
The latest reports for the last season 2009/10 reveal that in Gorey, 12 hares were hit, 7 badly, with three deaths. Two days after coursing, the ranger discovered three more hares dead from injuries In Ardpatrick & Kilfinane last December, 16 hares were hit, 5 injured, 3 killed and another dead hare was found afterwards; 1 hare suffering from a dislocated hip was put down. At Tralee last December, 7 hares were hit, 1 put down, and a further 4 found dead afterwards; a ranger described a mauled hare with "marks on its back and bare areas", while a vet noted the cause of a hare death as "knocks sustained during coursing the previous day". Another ranger noted that the muzzle came off a greyhound which caught a hare in its mouth and ran up the coursing field with the "hare hanging limp", while a hare with a damaged leg was noted at Fermoy.
ACTION ALERT 1
Urge the Irish Bishops Conference to act to end clergy association with coursing and all blood sports.
Irish Catholic Bishops Conference
Columba Centre
Maynooth
Co. Kildare
Tel: +353 (0)1 505 3000
Fax: +353 (0)1 601 6401
Email: columbacentre@iecon.ie
SAMPLE LETTER
(If you have time, please compose your own personal letter. Otherwise, feel free to send the short sample letter below. Be assertive, but polite, in all correspondence. Thank you.)
| Dear Sirs,
I am writing to urge you to please act to bring to an end the association with bloodsports of some members of the clergy. Paragraph 2418 of the Catholic Catechism states that 'it is contrary to human dignity to cause animals to suffer and die needlessly.' The Catechism also says that 'Animals are God's creatures. He surrounds them with his providential care. By their mere existence they bless him and give him glory. Thus men owe them kindness.' Thank you. I look forward to your response. With best wishes. Yours sincerely, [Name/Location] |
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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