From a mailing from The League Against Cruel Sports
www.league.uk.com

WATERLOO CUP 2004



Can you attend a demonstration against the cruel practice of hare coursing?



The biggest hare coursing event of the year, the Waterloo cup, will take place
at Great Altcar between Tuesday 24th and Thursday 26th of February 2004 and the
League will be in attendance supporting a protest that will demonstrate the
level of public opposition to hare coursing.



Hare coursing is pure 'sport' (with a lot of gambling thrown in) for a tiny
minority of people who enjoy watching animals suffer. And there is immense
suffering. In hare coursing, two dogs compete in a test of speed and agility in
pursuit of a live hare. The terrified hares are made to run for their lives to
provide 'entertainment'. When caught, they can end up in a brutal tug-of-war
between the jaws of the dogs and will often scream in terror as they are fought
over.



It is hard to believe that this barbaric activity remains legal in modern
Britain but we are determined that hare coursing, along with other forms of
hunting with dogs will be banned this Parliamentary session. The Prime Minister
himself stated that the hunting issue would be resolved this Parliament and
there have been a number of other statements to this effect. To achieve this, we
need to keep the pressure up and more than ever before, we need to have a large
presence at the Waterloo Cup to show the Government the high level of opposition
to this barbaric activity.



You can help to show the public revulsion to this event by joining a well
organised and peaceful protest outside the coursing ground near Great Altcar,
north of Liverpool. We will meet on The New Causeway in Great Altcar at 10am
ready for a 10.30am protest march. Posters will be available on the day.



Our aim is to show that the pursuit and killing of wild mammals with dogs is
inherently cruel. Chasing and killing a hare with two dogs is, in terms of
cruelty, the same as chasing and killing a fox with a pack of dogs. Both are
abhorrent and Parliament should ban both.


Remember, as this demonstration takes place, wild animals will be suffering and
being killed for the amusement of hundreds of spectators in what is only day one
of this gruesome three-day festival of cruelty. A strong showing at the protest
will be another strong step towards seeing a nationwide ban on hare coursing,
along with other forms of hunting with dogs. Time is almost certainly up for
hare coursing, and coursing supporters are well aware of this fact - in the
past, they have resorted to violence and aggressive behaviour during the
protest. This event shows coursing supporters in a true light and therefore it
is important that League representatives remain calm and peaceful throughout the
protest. We must not stoop to their level and must show that we are there for
the right reason, representing the majority of the public who abhor cruelty to
animals.



Please do your best to attend. For more details and a map of the location please
see the League website at:
www.league.uk.com/campaigns/protests_and_demos/waterloo_cup/waterloo_cup.htm. If
you will be taking public transport, please call Merseytravel on: 0870 608 2608
or 0151 236 7676 or see their website: www.merseytravel.gov.uk/ for details.



Directions: Waterloo Cup, Great Altcar

We will meet at The Causeway. Take M62 and then M57. At the end of M57 follow
A565 towards Formby and Southport. On the Formby by-pass turn right at traffic
lights on to B5195 (at Tesco Superstore) and follow the road through Great
Altcar. The
turning to the field where we will meet is on the right on the far side of the
village.









!UNTIL ALL ARE FREE!
Shropshire Animal Action

www.geocities.com/animals_salop/
07986 079514



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