Hare coursing continues despite ban
The BBC has recently reported that despite having been banned by the Hunting Act in 2004, the cruel blood sport of hare coursing continues in many parts of the country. The coursers invade private land intimidating farmers, often leaving them feeling helpless in the face of threats and even criminal damage. This brutal "sport" has lead to a decrease in the brown hare population in some areas.
Local police and farmers have joined forces in many parts of the country to fight illegal hare coursing, which worryingly has been on the rise since the Hunting Act came into effect in 2005. Hare coursing is a form of dog racing involving two or more dogs chasing the hares out of their "forms" and pursuing them until exhaustion.
Coursing as a rule takes place between September and March, when the fields have been cropped and hares are easily spotted. The hares subjected to coursing can suffer a prolonged and horrific death. Two (or sometimes more) dogs are involved in the chase, usually greyhounds or lurchers who are bred to be at least as fast as the hare. The chase may be relatively short but the hare can end up in a brutal tug-of-war if caught by the two dogs. The picture demonstrates that the front limbs have been skinned by pulling.
The coursers find many excuses for their "sport", such as pest control, when in fact it is for them a source of entertainment and money, as betting is often involved. They are arrogant in their conviction that their actions are not cruel, and state that the illegal aspect does not bother them in the slightest.
A government spokesperson has stated that they are satisfied the Act is working. This is clearly not the case, as there are hundreds of incidents reported in several counties every year. Hare coursing is notoriously difficult to police, as participants have excellent knowledge of rural areas and intimidate the local farmers with threats of damage and even violence, should they interfere.
Whilst it is encouraging that local police forces take this criminal activity seriously, engaging local communities to fight it with them, it is the Animals Count view that far more efficient government enforcement is needed in order for the law to be effective.
31 October 2009 