PUBLIC SHOCKED BY LIVE HARE COURSING

Chronicle (Levin), 5 June 1947, Page 6

PUBLIC SHOCKED BY LIVE HARE COURSING

C. E. Mentiplay, Speeial P.A. Correspondent.) .

(From

Eeeexved wednesaay, v p.m. SYDNEY, June 4. The spontaneous outburst of indignation which followed newspaper revelations of a greyhound eoursing mecting held recently at Eooty Hill-, near Sydney, has reeeived sufficient support in Government circles to indi.cate that the use of live hares in this sport may be banned within a few months. This sudden resurgenee of publie opinion in what is a very. old controverSy, was eaused by a faetual description of fncidents during a' foixrday eoursing meeting in which 59 hares released from boxes were. toru to pieces by greyliounds. A reporter told of men and "women urging the dogs on with cheers and iniprecatioixs and laying bets for or against a "kill." Explanations by a eoursing official were not calculated to reassur.e the public hor to avert any of its wrath. One oflieial claimed that the hares actually enjoyed the race. Another said that when the hares were properly trained and were- not siek, they xixore often than not got away from the greyhounds. The eoursing officials themselves appear to be dissatisfied at the results of the meeting because of the number of occasions in which the hares, bewildered at the sudden daylight and terrified by the approaching dogs, waited to . be slaughtered instead of break;ing for cover. They say :that the hhres were siek afxd advance this a-s ku additional explanation. ' i In- response to huiidreds of letters i dn#' f elephone c$lls> New SOuthJWales j iVlHaxstersJJxave ta'ken imraediatq^iction. ! Th#.Chie|; Seeretary, s Mf. Blddeley, ha^aske^forj-police reports Jon the nxe'gfing. Hi IU""-aixnounciaxg this-^e added that his depaft'ment took a serious view of acts of cruelty. Another member said that. the Premier, Mr. McGirr, lxad prPmNed /to xnake time, available later ' thid-Neai- fq^'Vbbxn^ebensi/^i measure that would, 'In addition "to other thirigs, prevent the nse of live hares for eoursing. "Such a law would be in line with Labour's record of humanitarian legislation," comments the Sun. "We believe that live hare eoursing will be abolished as the State Government promises. In any.case this paper will see that the promise is not forgotten. Explanations offered by .the officials concerned in the sport are typical of the .wliole repellent business which speedily should be flung into the linxbo of forgotten blood sports including bear baiting, cock flghting and some of the practices of the Nazis in places like Buchenwald and Mauthausen."