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OVER 1,200 HARES that were previously captured for hare hunting have been returned to the wild by clubs affiliated with the Irish Coursing Club (ICC).
The hares had been withheld for future race meetings, which are currently suspended due to Level 5 restrictions.
Their release follows a request from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, which had concerns about the welfare of the hares because they would be kept in captivity for the duration of the restrictions.
The department has been in communication with the ICC in recent weeks seeking to secure the release of the hares.
Minister Daragh O’Brien welcomed the release of the hares and dismissed claims that releasing them would lead to other people hunting them illegally.
“Hares are a protected species, and it is better for them to be in the wild than in captivity in large groups,” he said.
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“I don’t see any reason why they should have been held during the time the course was suspended.”
O’Brien said claims on social media that the National Park and Wildlife Service would post the hare release locations were false.
“That is not the case at all and such claims are misleading and designed solely to serve an agenda that supports the retention of hares in continuous captivity,” he added.
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