More than two-thirds of the Irish public would support a ban on hare coursing, according to a survey released today.
The opinion poll found 68 per cent in favour of a ban on the controversial sport, which sees wild hares trapped in a pen and pursued by muzzled greyhounds.
Coursing enthusiasts complained the survey was commissioned by an anti-hunt group, but the League Against Cruel Sports said its research was carried out independently and polled nearly 1,000 people.
The lobby group said the Irish public clearly backed a ban on hare coursing, with 72 per cent also condemning it as cruel, although 12 per cent believed the sport was humane.
Greyhounds chase a hare during a coursing meet at Clonmel Racecourse in Co Tipperary last year
Fears for the survival of the native Irish hare saw the introduction of temporary legislation in Northern Ireland banning their use in coursing, but Jerry Desmond of the Irish Coursing Club rejected calls for a ban in the Republic "I am not aware of any major opposition to hare coursing," he said.
"It's important to know how questions in the survey were worded, because a question can be placed to elicit a particular answer," he said.
"You would wonder if people had ever witnessed a coursing event for themselves and if they were aware that greyhounds have been muzzled since 1993. The actual number of hares who die by coursing is negligible."
Fionna Smyth of the League Against Cruel Sports said the survey findings were a watershed. She denied respondents were asked leading questions and said that when offered a simple choice for or against a ban, people living in both urban and rural areas backed an end to coursing.
"Supporters of hare coursing have long argued that opponents of the sport are simply townies. The poll shows this to be a myth," she said.
"The Irish public think coursing is cruel and should be banned. This is a deeply unpopular sport, carried out by a tiny minority of people so that they can gamble on the outcome of an animal's pain and discomfort.
"It is indefensible that our few remaining Irish hares, a native species, should be chased by greyhounds, before being pummelled into the air and injured or killed."
The temporary protection order in place in Northern Ireland is to be reviewed in April, but hare coursing banned in Britain.
Fans now travel to Ireland for coursing events, with high-profile football stars Vinnie Jones and Niall Quinn among the sport's best-known supporters.
PA