PREGNANT hares and their leverets were held captive for coursing in Glin, it has emerged.
According to a National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) document obtained by the Irish Council Against Blood Sport (ICABS), five leverets were born in the County Limerick coursing compound last month. The baby hares were spotted by a wildlife ranger among the hares captured for a coursing meeting.
The NPWS report, released under the Freedom of Information Act, says that the rangers were unable to identify the mothers of the leverets and so they “organised care for and release of the five leverets”.
ICABS say that pregnant hares giving birth at a coursing venue adds to concerns about the plight of hares used in this “shameful activity”.
“There are not only fears for the welfare of leverets born in captivity but also those left orphaned in the wild when their mothers are cruelly netted for use in coursing. These vulnerable, dependent creatures are almost certainly doomed to die without their mothers,” an ICABS spokesperson claimed.
“The idea of a pregnant hare or indeed any hare in a coursing compound is truly appalling. These animals should all be in the wild where they belong, not in a bloodsport venue to be used as live bait for dogs in a grotesque and anachronistic activity.”
John Fitzgerald of the Campaign for the Abolition Of Cruel Sports believes the leverets may have been born in captivity among hares waiting to be coursed, or netted along with adult hares in August or September.
“Either way, it is scandalous that these defenceless creatures should be in the possession of any coursing club,” Mr Fitzgerald declared.
“Last year, our national parliament had an opportunity to consign hare coursing to the history books. Instead, Dail Eireann gave it a resounding thumbs-up. The TDs who voted against abolition should reflect on the implications of that heartless decision.”
In response, DJ Histon of the Irish Coursing Club commented, “All five hares were released in a healthy condition and will continue to thrive and survive in the countryside with the assistance of the Glin Club, as they police the habitat of the Irish hare in their locality on a 12 month basis against all potential threats.
“It is not a common phenomenon for hares to be born in hare parks but when it arises, the club take great care to ensure their welfare and ultimate release back to the countryside in a fit and healthy state. The illegal hunting/killing of the Irish hare by gangs with lurcher type dogs, the mink and the buzzard are the real threats, but critics of coursing fail to highlight this on any level.”
by Alan Jacques
