Bad Hare Days

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Just sharing some thoughts about my thiry years of campaigning here in Ireland for the protection of the Irish Hare (better known as the jack rabbit in the USA and Canada I think?)

It's been a hell of an experience...fighting to get hares and rabbits protected from a "sport" called live hare coursing, in which hares are captured in the countryside and used as bait in a form of greyhound racing. The hares have to run for their lives from the greyhounds...some escape...others get mauled or injured or killed. all for theamusement of the hare cousing fans who roar and cheer for their favourite greyhounds.

So where do rabbits come into this? Well, the coursing people use rabbits to prepare the greyhounds for coursing, so the humble creature is treated even worse by them than the hares.

Anyway, I've been campaigning for more than three decades for the abolition of this activity, with varting degrees of success...the greyhounds are now muzzled before chasing the hares, though they still manage to maul and injure them. The muzzling was introduced by the coursing clubs in 1993 as a kind of response to the campaign, which has been steadily gaining public support across Ireland. Hare coursing has been banned in Britain and Australia and in Europe, but we're still stuck with it here in Ireland.

I've written a book about my experience of the Irish "ban hare coursing" campaign...it's not so much about hare coursing itself as about the actual impact of the campaign on those of us taking part in it...more a campaigner's memoir. The book is called "Bad Hare Days".

There are so many books out there promoting the cruel or unfair exploitation of wildlife suchas hares and rabbits that I thought: why not present a "bunny-friendly" version of things fora change?

I certainly got my share of "hard knocks" for my efforts on behalf on those furry friends of mine...bullying in the workplace, assaults, intimidation. Maybe you have to expect a bit of that when you take up any cause, especially one as controversial as opposing hare coursing in a district where it happens to be relatively popular. If I were living in a big city, I would have had an easier time campaigning.

When I see those beautiful pictures of rabbits on this website, and read a few of the postings, I am proud to have taken a stand on the hare coursing issue. I wish you all well.

-John Fitzgerald
 
omg! im doing a report on hare coursing in school!!!!!!
i hate it.... sick people. like ugh... imm to angery....
i liove here in ireland 2
 
here is some pic.... just to let people see.... and you are aloud to by the site. i cheacked/.
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:nerves1
wont let me paste pics...
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http://www.banbloodsports.com/images/gallery/ghc-01.jpg
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/38715000/jpg/_38715079_hare_coursing300.jpg
http://www.greyhoundaction.org.uk/photos/irishCoursing.jpg
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Hare5.jpg
john, i would like to help you.... might be in a few years time.. im only 13 but... i will some how. where around a bouts do you live? im in dery. i guess you are over the border...

:cry1: :pray:for the hares.
 

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