Tory pledge to hit brown hare
THE Tories have pledged to repeal the 2004 Hunting with Dogs Act. Unfortunately within that legislation is a totally separate section outlawing the archaically barbaric activity of hare coursing.
Repeated polls by the respected Ipsos Mori organisation consistently show an overwhelming 85 per cent of all adults (even higher at 86 per cent among country dwellers) opposed to the hunting and coursing of our iconic brown hares, which have drastically and alarmingly declined by 75 per cent since the 1960s.
In 1995 the brown hare was included in the official Biodiversity Action Plan for species at risk, the objective then being to double their population by 2010. Regrettably there has been no overall increase whatsoever and the animal remains numerically vulnerable, pockets of extinction already existing in some areas, notably South West England.
Despite this the Tories are still prepared to see brown hares, decimated also by year-round unrestricted shooting, still further persecuted as part of their "change" policy. Allied to their intended unwarranted slaughter of badgers, this could all contribute to turning headstrong Mr Cameron into the most out-of-touch and unpopular Tory Prime Minister since Edward Heath, elected in 1970 but significantly soon ousted in 1974.
JOHN RIMINGTON National Press Officer Hare Preservation Trust www.hare-preservation-trust.co.uk
2 Comments
by Emma Lawrence, East Devon
Thursday, April 29 2010, 10:18PM
“By Mr Rimingtons own admission, the hunt ban has obviously had no effect whatsoever on improving the hare population. I suspect the pockets of "extinction" he talks about in the south west, are more to do with the type of ground we have in this particular area, not being to the hares liking. Little knowledge of the south west and little knowledge of the hare.
With regard to the political forecast Mr Rimington has given us the pleasure of, I suspect Mr Blair with his lies and deceit over Iraq and leading us into massive recession will be more memorable.
I'm amazed the Express and Echo has entertained such an unbalanced, illogical and totally out of touch view.”
by Jon Burgess, Worcestershire
Wednesday, April 28 2010, 7:51PM
“John Rimington of the of the Hare Preservation Trust fails to tell the complete story regarding the coursing and the hare. To begin with on estates and farms where coursing used to take place the hare was protected from poachers and vermin which helped maintain their numbers well above the average found elsewhere. A resent study by Belfast University found that on land in Ireland overseen by coursing clubs the hare population was 18 fold greater than in comparable areas of countryside. This conservation work cost the taxpayer nothing and actually brings revenue into the country and rural areas. The National Coursing Club in the UK operated under strict rules. Since 1945 no more than 250 hare were killed
per annum during coursing. It has been calculated that NCC were responsible for the conservation of over 10,000 hares per season. It would be interesting to know if Mr Rimingtons organisation can better this record. The simple opinion poll quoted has no relevance as the vast majority of people have no idea of what is involved in coursing other than the typical animal rights propaganda. Shooting is responsible for culling up to 300,000 hares per year and there is a reasonable case for a closed season but not a complete ban on shooting outside the breeding season.
as farmers should have the right to protect their crops by culling a sustainable number.
Time after time independent studies find that properly organised field sports benefit the quarry species and conservation in general, however single issue groups like the HPT refuse to take notice of science but would rather throw in their lot with vote hungry MPs who seek short term gain over everything else.”