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Shameful animal cruelty in Millstreet's town park
06 January 2015
Hares were forced to run for their lives at a shameful display of animal cruelty in Millstreet, County Cork this month. Irish Council Against Blood Sports monitors were present at Millstreet Town Park to witness the first of a two-day coursing meeting which saw dozens of hares being used as live bait for dogs.
Pairs of greyhounds were unleashed close to the goalposts of the park's GAA pitch to chase down the terrorized hares. Video footage filmed by ICABS shows the creatures desperately trying to escape.
The cruelty event attracted just 150 or so people - a low attendance which reflects dwindling support for the activity which a majority of Irish people want outlawed. It is already illegal in Northern Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales.
The Millstreet coursers clearly didn't want the plight of the hares being recorded. Several tried to stop the filming of their disgusting "sport". "Why don't you go somewhere else?" a man identifying himself as a member of Millstreet Town Park Committee asked, before adding: "Because you'd have the s**t kicked out of you."
Petitions calling for an end to cruel hare coursing in Millstreet Town Park have been signed by thousands of people in Ireland and around the world.
The calls are being supported by locals who are not only opposed to the cruelty but who strongly object to a large portion of their park being taken over by coursers in the weeks leading up to the meeting. There are also fears locally that the hosting of animal cruelty in the town park damages Millstreet's tourism potential.
Please join us as we push for an end to coursing in Millstreet and around Ireland.
Victims of hare coursing in Millstreet town park
Millstreet, Co Cork January 3/4 2014
Coursers stated that 4 hares "required assistance" and were examined by vet who declared that 5 hares were "not suitable for coursing". Hares that "require assistance" are hares that have been struck and mauled by the greyhounds.
Millstreet, Co Cork - January 4/5, 2013
10 hares hit, 5 pinned. Ranger noted that "1 hare died shortly after/upon release (vet had inspected this animal at end of coursing, Day 1, and said it appeared fit for release)". It was also noted that 1 hare died in escape overnight and another died in escape after being coursed. No post mortems were conducted on these hares.
Millstreet, December 30/31, 2011
3 hares were hit by dogs, 3 hares were dead at end of coursing. Ranger noted that “a number of hares (at least 3, probably more) had conjunctivitis, as confirmed by Vet. At least 9 hares had foot injuries.”
ACTION ALERTS
Sign the petitions: Stop cruel hare coursing in Millstreet Town Park
Stop Live Hare Coursing 2-Day Event In Millstreet Public Town Park, County Cork
Send a tweet: @millstreet_town I support an end to cruel hare coursing in Millstreet Town Park
Leave a comment on the MIllstreet Facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/millstreet.town
Urge Millstreet-based TD, Aine Collins, to act to end cruel hare coursing in Millstreet Town Park
Aine Collins TD
Clara Business Centre.
Main Street, Millstreet, Co. Cork
Telephone: 029-71845
Fax: 029-71845
Email: aine.collins@oir.ie
Email "Please act to end cruel hare coursing in Millstreet Town Park" to Cork County Councillors
Express your support for a ban on coursing. Sign and share petitions
Stop Licensing Cruel Hare Coursing
Save Irish hares from cruel coursing
Ban horrific hare coursing cruelty in Ireland
Stop sponsoring hare coursing in Ireland
Urge Minister Heather Humphreys to show compassion for the persecuted Irish Hare and revoke the coursing licence she issued.
Email "Stop the cruelty. Revoke the hare coursing licence" to Heather.Humphreys@oireachtas.ie
[Heather.Humphreys@oireachtas.ie,ministers.office@ahg.gov.ie,taoiseach@taoiseach.gov.ie,joan.burton@oireachtas.ie,wildlifelicence@ahg.gov.ie,Gerry.Leckey@ahg.gov.ie]
Tel: (01) 631 3802 or (01) 631 3800
Leave a comment on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/heather.humphreysfg
Tweet to Heather Humphreys: @HHumphreysFG
Tweet to @HHumphreysFG
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.)
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Dear Minister,
I am one of the majority who want hare coursing outlawed. I am writing to urge you to revoke the licence you issued to the Irish Coursing Club. In coursing, hares suffer at all stages - during the capture, during the time they are kept in captivity and during the coursing meetings where they run for their lives in front of greyhounds. Among the injuries recorded are broken legs, damaged toes and dislocated hips. Every season, hare injuries and deaths are documented. I ask you to please act on the wishes of the majority, show compassion and permanently revoke the licence. Thank you. Yours sincerely, [Name/Location] |
Appeal to the Minister for Agriculture
Please appeal to the Minister for Agriculture to remove an exemption for hare coursing from the Animal Health and Welfare Act.
Simon Coveney, TD
Minister for Agriculture
Agriculture House,
Kildare Street, Dublin 2.
Email: Simon.Coveney@oireachtas.ie
Tel: 01-607 2884 or LoCall 1890-200510.
Fax: 01-661 1013.
Urgently contact An Taoiseach Enda Kenny and ask him to back a ban on hare coursing.
An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny
Department of the Taoiseach,
Government Buildings,
Upper Merrion Street,
Dublin 2
Telephone: 01-6194020
Fax: 01-6764048
Email: taoiseach@taoiseach.gov.ie
Contact all your local TDs now. Demand that they urgently push for a ban on hare coursing and all bloodsports. Tell them you are one of the majority who want coursing banned. Remind them that coursing is already illegal in Northern Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales. Urge them to respect the wishes of the majority of the electorate and back a ban.
Find out their contact details
Please also arrange a meeting with your TDs at their local clinics.
Videos: Ireland's cruel hare coursing
Videos: Drag coursing, the humane alternative to hare coursing
Millstreet TD urged to join calls for end to cruel hare coursing in town park
13 January 2015
The Irish Council Against Blood Sports is appealing to Millstreet-based TD, Aine Collins, to join calls for an end to cruel hare coursing in the town park.
The park's football and hurling pitch was this month used as a venue for coursing, in which hares - cruelly snatched from the wild and kept captive for weeks on end - are used as live bait for greyhounds. ICABS monitors present at the park witnessed hares desperately running for their lives.
Petitions calling for an end to cruel hare coursing in Millstreet Town Park have been signed by thousands of people in Ireland and around the world.
The calls to Millstreet Town Park Committee are being supported by locals who are not only opposed to the cruelty but who strongly object to a large portion of their park being taken over by coursers in the weeks leading up to the meeting. There are also fears locally that the hosting of animal cruelty in the town park damages Millstreet’s tourism potential.
"The hosting of this animal cruelty in Millstreet town park represents a major black mark against a town that has so many positive attractions and associations," we stated in an email in Deputy Collins. "Hare coursing subjects these delicate, timid creatures to an appalling ordeal. They are torn from their habitats in nets, manhandled into crates, kept in captivity for weeks/months and finally forced to run for their lives in front of pairs of greyhounds."
"It reflects poorly on Millstreet that this internationally condemned cruelty has been allowed to take place in your town," we added.
ACTION ALERT
Join our appeal to Aine Collins TD to speak out against hare coursing in Millstreet and back calls for an end to cruelty in the town park.
Deputy Aine Collins
Email: aine.collins@oir.ie
Telephone: 01-6183873 or (029) 71845
Mobile: 086 4137615
Fax: 01-6184522
Twitter: @AineCollinsTD
Tweet to @AineCollinsTD
Leave a comment on Facebook: www.facebook.com/aine.collins.fg
Sign the petitions: Stop cruel hare coursing in Millstreet Town Park
Stop Live Hare Coursing 2-Day Event In Millstreet Public Town Park, County Cork
Appeal to Millstreet GAA: Join calls for end to coursing on football field
07 January 2015
The Irish Council Against Blood Sports is appealing to Millstreet GAA club to join calls for an end to the use of the field they use for their Gaelic games as an arena for cruel hare coursing.
The football and hurling pitch, located in Millstreet's town park, was this month used as a venue for coursing, in which hares - cruelly snatched from the wild and kept captive for weeks on end - are used as live bait for greyhounds. ICABS monitors present at the park witnessed greyhounds being released close to the field's goalposts to chase down the terrorized hares. Video footage we filmed shows the creatures desperately trying to escape.
Petitions calling for an end to cruel hare coursing in Millstreet Town Park have been signed by thousands of people in Ireland and around the world.
The calls to Millstreet Town Park Committee are being supported by locals who are not only opposed to the cruelty but who strongly object to a large portion of their park being taken over by coursers in the weeks leading up to the meeting. There are also fears locally that the hosting of animal cruelty in the town park damages Millstreet’s tourism potential.
| A hare runs for his life during a coursing meet on the field used by Millstreet GAA club. |
ACTION ALERT
Appeal to Millstreet GAA club to join calls for an end to the use of the field they use for their Gaelic games as an arena for cruel hare coursing.
Email: secretary.millstreet.cork@gaa.ie
Leave a comment on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/OfficialCorkGAA
Tweet to: @MillstreetGaa @OfficialCorkGAA
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