Letter to the Editor: Commercial abuse of Irish hares and Spanish bulls
The annual bull running festival (in Pamplona, Spain) takes place again this week.
Bulls are forced from a corral, and driven at high speed through the narrow streets. Spectators and thrill-seekers run in front of the charging bulls; the idea is to outrun them into the next designated corral.
This annual festival is world famous and is estimated to garner about €180m for the local economy — restaurants, hotels, etc.
Of course it is hellish and torturous for the bulls who must run a half mile in sweltering heat.
Sharp bends along the way usually mean the animals will slip and tumble on the cobble stones trying to navigate those corners, injuring themselves.
Cameras along the route capture all the injuries and highlights of the day and are shown on all the evening news programmes.
The bull is a world famous symbolof Spain, but when it comes to making money he is just anotherlucrative way of making money,hence the bullfighting and TV shows, which show the bullfighters in all their glory torturing the irate bull beforekilling it.
The wild Irish hare was once a great symol of old Ireland, depicted on our coins.
The bulls of Spain and the Irish hare have something in common: They are both used and abused for profit by certain people who never seem to have heard of the word “cruelty”.
At least 90% of the people of Ireland have no interest in vile hare coursing and would gladly sign a petition to outlaw it, if given a chance.
Only people power can stop this barbaric practice. Forget about the gutless politicians, as they will do nothing to upset their rural neighbours, and possibly lose a vote.
Isn’t it funny how two countries, Spain and Ireland, proudly display animals as their national symbols? And both countries seriously abuse, torture and kill their very own symbolic animals.
