Sir, – As a wildlife protection campaigner, I'm delighted that Pamela Anderson has called on the Taoiseach to ban hare coursing (News, December 9th). But how long will it be before an Government responds to such a plea?
Coursing has survived thanks mainly to fawning politicians who see advantage in speaking up for it in some rural constituencies.
Back in 1944, a pro-coursing politician raised in the Dáil what he deemed an absolute scandal. Some people were, he informed the House, able to procure rationed petrol to travel to dances, while coursing struggled during the war time Emergency due to the scarcity of cars to convey fans to meetings. “And coursing is far more important than dancing!”, he fumed.
In 2020 there is the same political deference to coursing, with concerns about animal cruelty taking a poor second place to the interests of the gambling industry and the “need” some people have to see animals run for their lives on a muddy winter field.
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Coursing clubs claim to be conservationists dedicated to safeguarding the species because they feed the hares a few carrots in captivity and dose them against worms. But coursing is not about conservation. It’s about setting dogs on hares for a cheap thrill.
Some day this pathetic excuse for a sport will be banned, but only when TDs opt to do what is right for our persecuted native hare, as distinct from what is politically expedient. – Yours, etc,
JOHN FITZGERALD,
Callan,
Co Kilkenny.