No Hare coursing for Waterford club

waterford | animal rights | press release Saturday October 18, 2008 12:43 by Bernie Wright - Association of Hunt Saboteurs berniew at esatclear dot ie PO BOX 4734. Dublin.1 087 2651720

Waterford Coursing club left without field

LATEST NEWS from the Irish Coursing Club.(ICC website)

Message
Waterford Coursing Club would like to sincerely thank Lord Waterford, their loyal sponsors, landowners, greyhound owners and working members for their help and support over the years.
Regrettably their 2008 coursing meeting has to be cancelled but they look forward to being back in action in 2009.

At least some of the hares in County Waterford will be celebrating the demise of the Waterford clubs venue. With what was once a two day event, and in latter days a one day event, its vanished from the event list in 2008. A sign of the times.
Unfortunately, hare coursing continues, and the majority view has counted for nothing. Our legal system enshrines a practise that involves snatching hares from their natural homes in the countryside, herding these animals (that lack the herd instinct) into man-made compounds, and then setting them up as live bait for dogs to chase and terrorise.
The claim that muzzling ended the cruelty has been given the lie by state-employed and appointed wildlife rangers whose reports, obtained by us under FOI, reveal a catalogue of abuse and suffering, inflicted at all coursing events held since the introduction of muzzling.
The level of abuse varies from one baiting session to another, but the bottom line is that you cannot have a fair and humane sport where an animal is being baited for fun and thrills in a confined area.
In June 2006 the Green party claimed it was time for Government TDs to come clean as to why they are against the imposition of a ban on hare coursing. The party also said the fact that 37 per cent of all government funding in sport goes to the horse racing and greyhound industries is a cause of concern.
Party spokesman on Arts, Sport and Tourism Paul Gogarty described this statistic as "a scandal" and said it would be worth investigating the links between the Government and these two sports. Now it is the 2008 Coursing season and that green Party has done absolutely nothing to end Live hare coursing, a practice the majority of people of Ireland want ended.
Animal abuse is a serious social and moral issue. Every day brings reports of animal abuse the length and breadth of this country. Despite the best efforts of animal welfare groups and the Gardai animal abuse is increasing in its scale and viciousness.
Efforts to tackle animal abuse fall at the first hurdle because legal animal abuse is sanctioned by the government in the form of hunting with hounds, hare coursing and entertainment activities that involve animals. Chopping off the ears of a greyhound is illegal but the chopping off the tail or pads of a fox in foxhunting is legal because the animal receives no protection under our wildlife legislation. Two identical acts of animal abuse, yet one act is glorified as a legal sporting activity.