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The Irish Hare is under threat

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  • 23-08-2010 1:31pm
    #1
    TippFan77
    Closed Accounts Posts: 101 ✭✭


    Wondering if anyone here saw that item on RTE news, Sunday night, about the Irish Hare being under threat from our modern agricultural methods.

    I hope the relevant govt departments can address this, as the hare is one of our greatest wildlife assets and God knows it has enough to contend with from the coursing clubs.

    This might be cause the Greens might take up...?
    Tagged:


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    #2
    ISDW
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,378 ✭✭✭ISDW


    Ah I hope not, we have a lot of them in the fields around us, I love watching them run around, I know its a cliche, but they are so fast.

    Did they say what specifically is endangering them? Its mainly cattle around here, so I don't suppose much has changed, apart from cutting with machines, but most fields just get muck spread on them and cut twice a year and have cattle on for part of the rest of the year.


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    #3
    The Paws
    Closed Accounts Posts: 418 ✭✭The Paws


    TippFan77 - I think in colleges/PHDs etc are very interested in this. I say they would have to research first why are these endemic species are in crisis! I would be interested to help - They are declining and I am delighted they are alerting everyone from rte news and hopefully some one like us who would to take part of this.

    Perhaps www.biology.ie might help? or a national wildlife website - they record the locations/where last seen/ population etc (privately of course or the irish hare will be totally wiped out by usual hunters etc!)

    all the best!


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    #4
    TippFan77
    Closed Accounts Posts: 101 ✭✭TippFan77


    The Paws wrote: »
    TippFan77 - I think in colleges/PHDs etc are very interested in this. I say they would have to research first why are these endemic species are in crisis! I would be interested to help - They are declining and I am delighted they are alerting everyone from rte news and hopefully some one like us who would to take part of this.

    Perhaps www.biology.ie might help? or a national wildlife website - they record the locations/where last seen/ population etc (privately of course or the irish hare will be totally wiped out by usual hunters etc!)

    all the best!

    As I understand it, the Irish Hare is under pressure from loss of habitat due to destruction of hedgerow and the effects of monoculturual farming...once growth drops below a certain height the hare may as well be in the desert.

    There is also the question of Capture Myopathy, a stress-related condition...a hare is never the same again after being captured by man. For example, hares were captured a few years ago in Co. Meath and transported from Mosney to Bull Island to replenish hare stocks there...most of these hares died within days of reaching their new venue...presumably from the stress arising from capture and transportation.

    Now consider that between 7000 and 10000 hares per year are captured for use in hare coursing events. Most comment on this relates to the pursuit of the hare on coursing day by a pair of greyhounds...but the hare has already gone through an ordeal before he reaches that point...he is netted, placed in a small box, transported (over varying distances), held in captivity for up to six weeks...

    After coursing, hares that survive the ordeal (i.e. are not struck or mauled by the dogs) are released back into the wild...but the question is...in what condition. What becomes of them afterwards, bearing in mind the fate of the Mosney hares on Bull Island and the effects of Capture Myopathy?

    Yes...a study of all this would be immensely interesting...


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    #5
    wetdogsmell
    Registered Users Posts: 213 ✭✭wetdogsmell


    TippFan77 wrote: »
    As I understand it, the Irish Hare is under pressure from loss of habitat due to destruction of hedgerow and the effects of monoculturual farming...once growth drops below a certain height the hare may as well be in the desert.

    There is also the question of Capture Myopathy, a stress-related condition...a hare is never the same again after being captured by man. For example, hares were captured a few years ago in Co. Meath and transported from Mosney to Bull Island to replenish hare stocks there...most of these hares died within days of reaching their new venue...presumably from the stress arising from capture and transportation.

    Now consider that between 7000 and 10000 hares per year are captured for use in hare coursing events. Most comment on this relates to the pursuit of the hare on coursing day by a pair of greyhounds...but the hare has already gone through an ordeal before he reaches that point...he is netted, placed in a small box, transported (over varying distances), held in captivity for up to six weeks...

    After coursing, hares that survive the ordeal (i.e. are not struck or mauled by the dogs) are released back into the wild...but the question is...in what condition. What becomes of them afterwards, bearing in mind the fate of the Mosney hares on Bull Island and the effects of Capture Myopathy?

    Yes...a study of all this would be immensely interesting...


    i think its more change in farming methods that are affecting populations,
    7000 to 1000 hares a year used by coursing clubs???????????
    if that was the case and they all died later as you think, there would be no hares left after a couple of years, i don't think hunting is to blame as it keeps populations strong by removing the weaker animals,


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    #6
    TippFan77
    Closed Accounts Posts: 101 ✭✭TippFan77


    wetdogsmell wrote: »
    i think its more change in farming methods that are affecting populations,
    7000 to 1000 hares a year used by coursing clubs???????????
    if that was the case and they all died later as you think, there would be no hares left after a couple of years, i don't think hunting is to blame as it keeps populations strong by removing the weaker animals,

    I didn't actualy say they that ALL hares would die after coursing...whatever about hunting, coursing subjects the hare to a longer and therefore more stressful ordeal owing to the captivity factor and certainly we need a lot of research to determine the impact, post-coursing, on hares, in particular its effects on reproductive viability of hares that have through this unnatural experience...


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    #7
    Discodog
    Registered Users Posts: 15,897 ✭✭✭✭Discodog


    There is no possibility of legislation against coursing. Like Greyhound racing it is totally ingrained within the Government. The ICC will claim that coursing is beneficial for Hare stocks & they will produce scientific evidence to back this up - I am surprised that the pro coursing lobby have not replied yet !.

    Anyone with half a brain can see that coursing is a cruel & unnecessary "sport" which is why it is banned in many countries including the UK. This ban has meant that Ireland has attracted coursers from the UK & if anything coursing numbers have increased.

    In the UK Greyhound tracks are closing as people realise that the price of racing (10,000 dead Greyhounds per year) is not acceptable. Again there is no decline in the "industry" here.


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    #8
    wetdogsmell
    Registered Users Posts: 213 ✭✭wetdogsmell


    Discodog wrote: »
    There is no possibility of legislation against coursing. Like Greyhound racing it is totally ingrained within the Government. The ICC will claim that coursing is beneficial for Hare stocks & they will produce scientific evidence to back this up - I am surprised that the pro coursing lobby have not replied yet !.

    Anyone with half a brain can see that coursing is a cruel & unnecessary "sport" which is why it is banned in many countries including the UK. This ban has meant that Ireland has attracted coursers from the UK & if anything coursing numbers have increased.

    In the UK Greyhound tracks are closing as people realise that the price of racing (10,000 dead Greyhounds per year) is not acceptable. Again there is no decline in the "industry" here.


    i have nothing against coursing, but i can see how some people might think its cruel, but i don't understand what you have against greyhound racing, i know you said theres 10,000 dogs put down a year in the uk but there are thousands of pet dogs pts in ireland every year, should you stop people having pets too?????? i also think some of these numbers being quoted are crazy, 7000 to 10,000, hares used by coursing a year, were did that number come from???? and also people expressing posibilitys as fact is foolish, saying hares will die and won't breed if there captured,, but we would need to study them to see, not trying to get in a slagging match with anyone, just my opinion


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    #9
    Discodog
    Registered Users Posts: 15,897 ✭✭✭✭Discodog


    The 7000 to 10,000 figure seems excessive for Hares but there are about 80 coursing clubs throughout Ireland. The Greyhound figures are published by the IGB.

    About 22,000 Greyhound puppies are born in Ireland per year.
    About 8000 per year are sold leaving a "balance" of 14,000.

    Given an average life expectancy of say 12 years there should be about 170,000 in the Country !. We should be falling over Greyhounds but you rarely see them as pets. So where are they all ?.

    We know how many dogs are killed in the Pounds because the figures are published. The IGB either do not have the Greyhound figures or refuse to publish them - what have they got to hide ?

    One man in the UK personally killed 10,000
    http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article688883.ece

    This slaughter is state sponsored. We all give money to the IGB via our taxes. Of course the killing of an estimated 25,000 unwanted pet dogs is appalling but it is not encouraged & supported by the state.

    We should all be responsible for the care of our dogs & that includes Greyhound breeders.


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    #10
    TippFan77
    Closed Accounts Posts: 101 ✭✭TippFan77


    Discodog wrote: »
    The 7000 to 10,000 figure seems excessive for Hares but there are about 80 coursing clubs throughout Ireland. The Greyhound figures are published by the IGB.

    About 22,000 Greyhound puppies are born in Ireland per year.
    About 8000 per year are sold leaving a "balance" of 14,000.

    Given an average life expectancy of say 12 years there should be about 170,000 in the Country !. We should be falling over Greyhounds but you rarely see them as pets. So where are they all ?.

    We know how many dogs are killed in the Pounds because the figures are published. The IGB either do not have the Greyhound figures or refuse to publish them - what have they got to hide ?

    One man in the UK personally killed 10,000
    http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article688883.ece

    This slaughter is state sponsored. We all give money to the IGB via our taxes. Of course the killing of an estimated 25,000 unwanted pet dogs is appalling but it is not encouraged & supported by the state.

    We should all be responsible for the care of our dogs & that includes Greyhound breeders.

    Re hare coursing, in the past week there have further disturbing revelations re this activity...two coursing clubs were caught netting hares in breach of the Wildlife Act. This is happening quite a lot in recent years, with clubs venturing far beyond their own districts in search of hares. FOI reports reveal too that many coursing clubs complain that finding enough hares to run a meeting is very difficult...surely this points to a scarcity of hares?


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