It’s absurd to blame coursing for extinction of hares on Bull Island

I find it extraordinary that CACS (Campaign for Abolition of Cruel Sports) are “aghast” (Irish Examiner, Letters, April 8 ) that there have been no reported sightings of the Irish hare on Bull Island since June, 2014. 

The reason cited by the unnamed ‘ecologist’ is disturbance by humans and dogs. From this, the blame is laid at the door of coursing clubs, the nearest of which is 20 miles away. This is absurd.

I refer to the opinion of two experts in lagomorph conservation and the clear link between the conservation of the Irish hare and coursing: Queens university zoologist, Dr Neil Reid, and his colleague, Professor Ian Montgomery, head of biological sciences.