Sir, – The festive season is always marred by an upsurge in the number of enclosed coursing events, with hundreds of these timid and defenceless creatures being forced to run for their lives.
Each hare, after being snatched from its natural home in the countryside, will be subjected to the terror of live baiting. The really unlucky ones will be mauled or maimed when forcibly struck by the dogs. The brittle-boned creature tends not to survive fractures and other internal injuries.
It faces a greater challenge this season due to a decision by several coursing clubs to hold three-day meetings, thus adding an extra day to their baiting sessions.
In theory, a hare will be coursed only once each day, but now many more hares will have to risk horrific injury three days in a row.
And the animals must perform in all weathers. Since the present season opened in late September, they have been coursed in muddy or water-logged fields and even hailstorms, as clearly borne out by videos of the “sport” posted by fans on YouTube.
It is bad enough that the Government proposes to exempt hare coursing from prohibition under the new Animal Health and Welfare Bill.
On top of that retrograde step, it is allowing coursing clubs to play what amounts to a form of Russian roulette with the hares.
Successive opinion polls reveal that a big majority of the Irish people favour a ban on this blood sport. But so far the politicians have failed to act. They continue to turn their backs on a gentle creature that enhances our natural environment and that threatens neither man nor beast.
The backwoodsmen have had their day . . . many days . . . of stomach-churning cruelty. It’s time to give the hare a break and call off the dogs. – Yours, etc,