Taken from the ICC Website
PRESS RELEASE 31 March 2010
On Tuesday, 30 March 2010, a disturbingly engineered video purporting to have recorded a “dying hare” at the National Coursing Meeting, February 3, 2010 was released to the Youtube website by the Association of Hunt Saboteurs Ireland. It was also distributed to all TDs as “evidence of the brutality” of hare coursing. The video begins with coursing footage from the National Meeting and ends with its subject matter, the “dying hare”.
The ICC completely and unreservedly condemns and rejects the claims of the video and most strongly denies the authenticity of the subject matter itself.
A second inspection of the video by ICC officials and members as well as IT and veterinary experts exposes it as a deliberately orchestrated effort to discredit the hare welfare policies and practices of the ICC.
Beside it being patently impossible for the “dying hare” portion to have taken place during the National Meeting, in several frames it most disturbingly reveals the hare is restrained by a wire around its neck (and possibly one limb), the wire then extending to the right of the hare, intermittently being pulled. It is also worth noting that the camera often pans to the left but never to the right, the direction from which the wire is coming from. This observation is supported by the fact that the hare’s head never moves from its original position in spite of convulsing and desperate attempts to free itself. The hare is highly likely to have been poisoned or partially sedated for effect.
The location and number of paddock stewards, staff, and 24 hour security personnel during the National Meeting make it virtually impossible for the “dying hare” portion of the video to have taken place at the claimed time, and there are numerous inconsistencies with the video. Differences in the quality of the video between the coursing footage and the “dying hare” footage are obvious, and the PA system background sound from the coursing portion is completely absent from the “dying hare” sequence. In addition, any further claims that this did take place during the National Meeting and the hare was not intentionally restrained are met with the hard fact that it was more important for the person with the camera to “get the shot” than try to relieve the hare’s suffering and seek the help of the on-site veterinarian or paddock stewards.
A break-in to the hare compound was discovered on a day previous to the National Meeting, and was reported to and is on record with the Gardai. The location of the damage to the fencing from the break-in is in immediate proximity to the angle of the camera and the direction from which the wire around the hares neck is being pulled.
Further claims of greyhounds breaking into the hare compound during the National Meeting are completely without basis, and these and other details point to people who will go to any lengths to achieve their aims and have no reservations whatsoever of sacrificing one hare to do so. It is a desperate and deplorable agenda. This is a shocking and disgraceful attempt to discredit the dedicated organising committee of the National Meeting and the ICC from a group of people who allege to oppose animal cruelty. Minister Gormley is notified of our findings, given he was provided this footage to investigate the matter. It is well documented how animal rights activists have “sacrificed” animals in the furtherance of their cause. It is worth noting that the alleged authors of this video are claimed to be Polish and therefore difficult to trace or interview; it is unusual at best that it took two months to “launch” their production on the unsuspecting public. The timing of the controlled release of this video was clearly designed to generate impact at an opportunistic time. These are the actions of treacherous people who will stop at nothing to achieve their agenda and must be exposed to the greater public, our elected representatives and the decent people of Ireland.
Legal counsel is being sought, and the video and all other supporting information will be left with the Gardai today, who have already been so notified of this serious matter of inflicted animal cruelty and trespass. Additional confidential evidence and detail will be provided to the Gardai to assist with their investigation. The targeted TDs and other government officials will also be so informed, and we encourage anyone with additional evidence or observations to contact the ICC immediately.
DJ HISTON
DJ Histon
CEO
Coursing Club
