Some 63 per cent of Irish bird species are in “serious trouble” compared to almost 50 per cent globally, according to Birdwatch Ireland and RSPB Northern Ireland. Yet there was no funding in yesterday’s 2023 Budget for nature preservation in a move branded as “shameful”. State of the birds The comments followed the release of […]
Tag: Ireland
Swimmer survives 12 hours at sea in just his trunks after being ‘helped by dolphins’
A pod of dolphins helped rescue a stranded swimmer after circling him to alert a stumped lifeboat crew. The man, in his 30s, was more than two miles off land in the icy waters of Tralee Bay, Ireland on Sunday. He was wearing just trunks and temperatures were quickly plummeting. But volunteers from Fenit lifeboat […]
Fox hunt pair charged after ‘hounds killed cat and attacked man’
These are the business bosses and huntsmen charged with allowing foxhounds to kill a cat and attack a man. Dungannon man Alexander Mills, who works for an agricultural machinery firm bearing his name, and Banbridge man Gareth Black, managing director of a North Down construction company, are charged alongside the Iveagh Hunt Club. The club […]
Petition: Ban Fox Hunting in Ireland
Fox hunting is an incredibly cruel sport in which foxes are chased by people on horseback and a pack of dogs for “fun.” Once caught, the dogs rip these poor foxes to shreds. Despite fox hunting being illegal in England, it still happens quite often due to weak enforcement of the law. A few months […]
Ocean floor rover finds large shark nursery in Irish waters
The largest shark nursery to have been found in Irish waters has been discovered among cold-water coral reefs 200 miles west of Ireland. A remotely operated vehicle surveying the deep ocean floor revealed thousands of egg cases, popularly known as “mermaid’s purses”, deposited on coral skeletons at depths of up to 750 metres (2,500ft). Video […]
A forestry boom is turning Ireland into an ecological dead zone
We all love trees. We think of woods and forests as green lungs, peaceful spaces, brimming with wildlife. So when Europe’s least forested country, Ireland, sets a target to increase tree cover from 11% to 18% by 2046, we should all applaud, shouldn’t we? Unfortunately the new woodland rising across Ireland is an ecological dead […]
After tragic shooting of escaped tiger, should France ban circus animals?
Within just a few days last month, both Italy and Ireland banned the use of performing animals in circuses on a national level, joining 11 other members of the European Union that have already done so. France, unfortunately, is not one of those countries. A couple of weeks later, an 18-month-old tiger named Mevy escaped […]
Success! Ireland Bans Wild Animals in Circuses
Just days after news broke that Italy banned animals in circuses, Ireland officials gave animal advocates another reason to celebrate after taking a similar stand. The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed TD, has officially signed regulations banning the use of wild animals in circuses as of January 1, 2018. “The use […]