Letters to the Editor: Illegal hunting presents the real threat to hares

Picture: Niall Carson/PA

I respond to Mr Enright’s article entitled “the slaughter of hares should shame the nation” in your paper of December 7.

Mr Enright avails of the media’s right to freedom of expression to set out his opinion of coursing and in doing so disparages the people involved by calling them ‘savages’, while completely misrepresenting modern regulated coursing and its supporters. Surely, with such a right comes a duty to do some basic research and at least present the facts to assist the reader’s understanding of the topic.

If the writer’s concern is for the Irish hare, then we have a common starting point in that coursing people are equally concerned for the Irish
hare’s conservation status now and in the future. Mr Enright’s depiction of the hare been “torn apart” and “pregnant females” been captured is a total fabrication on his part and takes no account of the 39 conditions attached to the licences issued to coursing clubs annually. 

He fails to mention that greyhounds are muzzled at all coursing events and that 99.55% of all hares are typically released back into the countryside. Furthermore, it is a breach of licence conditions to net or course pregnant or nursing female hares for very obvious reasons. Feeding wildlife in the harsher months is not something unusual for coursing people to do also, particularly during the harsher spells of weather.

The Irish hare’s genetic make-up is worthy of mention: it possesses stereophonic hearing, 360-degree vision, tremendous speed and agility, it can swim up to a mile voluntarily and most importantly it can resume normal state immediately after the chase. 

Ultimately, a hare being chased by two muzzled greyhounds for an average of 20 seconds does not present the hare with any situation it is not familiar or unequipped to deal with.

He fails to acknowledge the conservation work of clubs that is independently verified by Quercus, Queens University that reported there are 18 times more hares where coursing exists because of the voluntary efforts of clubs on a 12-month basis managing the habitat of the hare. The NPWS commissioned national Irish hare population survey conducted as part of the EU Habitats Directive was completed in 2019 and reported favourably across all measurement criteria: i) Range, ii) Population, iii) Habitat for the species and iv) Future prospects.

By banning coursing as he suggests, we need only look to the UK where the hare population is in decline with illegal poaching and illegal hunting being the single biggest wildlife crime as reported by the UK Ministry of Agriculture, DEFRA. In the North the PSNI had to set up ‘operation lepus’ to manage the escalation of illegal hunting.

Where Mr Enright and the ICC agree, is that the slaughter of the Irish hare should shame the nation. I am now referring to the very real threat to the Irish hare, the practice of unregulated illegal hunting, which is a breach of the Wildlife Act 1979. This is a pervasive practice, where gangs with packs of unmuzzled dogs traverse the countryside, without landowner permission, intimidating landowners, as they hunt to kill the Irish hare in their dozens on a 12- month basis. 

Observations made during the national hare population survey cited “illegal poaching of hares using lurchers is known to cause local population extirpations if persistent and is at least perceived widespread”.

Perhaps, Mr Enright should reserve his offensive comments for those that actually warrant them.

DJ Histon

CEO

Irish Coursing Club

Editor’s response:

While Mr Enright’s opinion, the use of the term ‘savages’ to describe coursing supporters, irrespective of his and other people’s strongly-held views on the practice, was not appropriate. I apologise for any distress it caused.

Never forget the heroes of Jadotville

Until recently the name “Jadotville” would not have meant anything to many Irish people.

In 1960 the Government of Ireland decided to participate in the United Nations Military Mission to Congo.

Many of the young members of the Irish Defence Forces had no idea where “Congo” was and know less of the internal struggle that developed after independence from Belgium.

Those young military personnel arrived (after a lengthy flight) in the uniforms most unsuited for the heat of Congo.

They settled in and performed their duties/responsibilities very well.

In 1961, A Company, 35th Battalion (UN Service) Irish Army, OUNC Contingent (155) under the command of Commandant Pat Quinlan was sent to the town of Jadotville ostensibly to assist the protection of its citizens.

Soon after the Irish contingent was attached by Katangese Gendarmerie supported by mercenaries (Belgian, French, Rhodesian, South African) and local tribesmen — numbering between 3,000 and 5,000.

The Irish defended their positions until they ran out of ammunition. At that point Commandant Quinlan agreed to surrender.

Despite intense firepower of the attackers not one irish soldier was killed during the battle. This is attributed (by many military experts) to Commandant Quinlan’s “perimeter defence”.

Attempts were made to reinforce the “A” Company, by Swedes, Indian and Irish units (during my time with United Nations I met with Swedes and Indians involved in the attempted relief) — however travel conditions were extremity bad on what were basically dirt tracks making movement of vehicles difficult.

It is most unfortunate that upon return to Ireland the heroic efforts of these brave men were not acknowledged.

I have no doubt if they had served with the military forces of any other country they would have returned home to a hero’s welcome.

The Irish government has now set up an enquiry into the events at Jadotville in 1961.

As an Irish man and retired staff member of United Nations Peacekeeping Operations to Pat Quinlan and the men of “A” Company 35th ~Battalion, I say: “THANK YOU FOR YOUR OUTSTANDING SERVICE”.

God bless you.

God bless all current members of the Irish Defence Forces.

God protect you from self serving politicians and civil servants.

Michael A Moriarty

Rochestown

Cork

McConville gets it spot on

Your correspondents’ criticisms of Oisin McConville’s description of life in Gaza makes the usual false arguments. Gaza is under a blockade by Israel and Egypt and unlike the sad analogy of Singapore it doesn’t have an airport (bombed to pieces by Israel) nor a port, and its people cannot leave the strip. More than 2m people live in Gaza with 80% unemployment, limited electricity and almost no drinkable water. This is the result of Israel’s policy of blockade which has lasted for more than fifteen years.

Oisin McConville gets it spot on.

Eamonn Meehan

Blackrock

Co Dublin

Class Coveney treated poorly by RTÉ presenter

I went to bed angry the other night, and the anger had not abated the following morning.

Simon Coveney is a politician of class and quality.

On the 6.01 RTÉ News, he was treated appallingly by a news presenter.

The occasion was our minister for foreign affairs returning to Ireland from Brussels where he had worked on one of the most important decision days of his life, and the country he represents.

Arguably the negotiations that are coming down to the wire in Brussels will impact on every living soul in this country, maybe for generations to come.

Yet he was left standing in situ, while the RTÉ producers and directors kept him and the country waiting until the end of the newscast.

Three times the presenter interrupted him and cut him off whilst in mid sentence on what the future held for Ireland after Brexit.

And then to add insult to injury she cut him off so that RTÉ could go for advertisements to further inflate the obscene salaries of RTÉ staff.

It’s time that the current regime in RTÉ was called to task.

Bring back Pat Kenny.

Ray Cawley

Douglas

Cork

Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?

In these times every Tom, Dick and Harriet telling us what to do and where to at every turn, there are also private security companies going around thinking they are in charge of citizens, as we go about our business in shopping malls, for example.

I was sitting and having a delightful cuppa, for example, when across from my dining area, passed a burly chap all dressed in black police-like clothing, down to belts and walkie-talkie and little cop blue and white squares in the trim of his jacket. Emblazoned front and back of this get-up, he carried the warning ENFORCEMENT, in giant caps.

Is this the “new normal” citizens are expected to respect — and what possible “enforcement” could people like this visit upon law-abiding shoppers and diners?

Robert Sullivan

Bantry

Co Cork