Morrissey Urges Taoiseach to Ban the ‘Abomination’ That Is Hare Coursing

Morrissey Urges Taoiseach to Ban the ‘Abomination’ That Is Hare Coursing

Dublin – This morning, ahead of his upcoming concert in Killarney (24 September), long-time PETA supporter, musician, and activist Morrissey sent an urgent letter to the Taoiseach on PETA’s behalf urging him to ban archaic hare coursing in Ireland.

In the letter (available here), Morrissey notes that hare coursing should have been consigned to the history books long ago. “For nothing more than a bet or a lark, thousands of hares are ripped from their homes every year, crammed into netted enclosures, and forced to run for their lives in front of dogs. … Surely, it is not hard to see that this is wrong,” he writes.

He goes on to explain why the vile pursuit simply has no place in civilised society.

“There is something extremely depraved about those who enjoy watching animals being terrorised. And the sooner Ireland distances itself from this cruel activity, the better.”

In the countryside, many hares are trapped so that they can be used for coursing and they never see their homes again. The fear and stress of being chased can cause heart failure and sudden death, and those who are hit or caught by the dogs may be mauled to death on the spot or die later from their injuries. The blood sport has long been banned in Northern Ireland and most other European countries.

Morrissey – who previously fired off a letter to then–agriculture minister Michael Creed about ending fur farming in Ireland – joins over 0,000 PETA supporters who have called on Micheál Martin to ban hare coursing.

PETA – whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment” – opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETA.org.uk or follow the group on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

Contact:

Jennifer White +44 (0) 20 7837 6327, [email protected]

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