by Holly O'Neill
09th Dec 2020
09th Dec 2020
No, you read that right
Think of the most ridiculous headline you can, and 2020 will make it a reality. Mysterious monoliths, suspected by many of being placed by extraterrestrial life, are appearing and disappearing around the world. Zombies minks are rising out the ground in Denmark. Pamela Anderson is writing letters to Micheál Martin.
Anderson, who is an animal rights activist and honorary US director of Peta, has written to the Taoiseach to urge him to ban hare coursing in Ireland, which she says is a sport that is “at odds with the warmth and goodwill that people around the world know and love Ireland for.”
This is not her first letter to a Taoiseach – she has previously written to Enda Kenny to ban wild animal circuses (now banned) and called on Leo Varadkar to prohibit fur farming (which Ireland is phasing out).
She wrote:
“As a long time animal rights advocate, I’ve celebrated alongside my friends at Peta after writing to your predecessors and hearing that Ireland had banned wild-animal circuses and would be moving toward ending fur farming. But there’s still more to be done. Will you please be the Taoiseach who finally lays cruel hare coursing to rest?
“The novel coronavirus has taught us the devastating consequences of messing with wildlife. And your government can heed that lesson by banning this so-called ‘sport’, in which gentle, sensitive hares – wild animals – are torn from their natural homes so that they can be chased by hounds for someone’s twisted idea of amusement.
“Hare coursing is reckless – and it’s cruel. Many hares die when they are captured, transported, and held captive before meets. Some endure stress-induced heart attacks or other organ damage, or they collapse and die of sheer exhaustion while desperately fleeing from the dogs.
“This blood sport is at odds with the warmth and goodwill that people around the world know and love Ireland for. The practice is currently banned because of lockdown restrictions, and you can help ensure that it’s not allowed to resume. It’s time – past time – that Ireland consigned hare coursing to the history books, where it belongs.”
Photography by @pamelaanderson.
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