Government must act now to ensure critically endangered Old Irish Goat doesn’t disappear

“Government’s failure to protect the Old Irish Goat is a national disgrace. Urgent legislation is required” – Read John Fitzgerald’s Letter in today’s Irish Independent and please scroll down for action alert…

Government must act now to ensure the old Irish goat doesn’t disappear for good
Letters, Irish Independent, 8 May 2024

Ireland’s wildlife protection laws, or lack of them, are often slated by conservationists and animal protection groups. But the failure to protect the old Irish goat, our only native breed of the animal, is a national disgrace.

The animal is a priceless part of our wildlife heritage, having come to Ireland with the Neolithic settlers aeons ago. It now teeters on the verge of extinction, with only an estimated 170 of the creatures left. It’s even more imperilled ecologically than the curlew or the corncrake. Yet, incredibly, not only is it still legal to hunt them – you don’t even need a licence to shoot this majestic animal.

The failure of successive governments to safeguard the goat’s survival has resulted in hunters jetting to Ireland to kill the goats. Their horns can fetch a high price.

Despite being critically endangered, it can be blasted off the mountainsides by blood-sport fans.

There’s no time to lose: urgent legislation is required to protect the old Irish goat. Otherwise, we’ll lose yet another endangered and loved species to man’s greed and inhumanity.

John Fitzgerald
Callan, Co Kilkenny

URGENT ACTION ALERT

Sign the petition
BAN THE HUNTING OF NATIVE RARE BREED OLD IRISH GOATS
https://www.change.org/p/department-of-agriculture-food-and-the-marine-ban-the-hunting-of-native-rare-breed-old-irish-goats

Get in contact with Heritage Minister Darragh O’Brien and Minister of State for Nature Malcolm Noonan and tell them to urgently act to protect the Old Irish Goat.

Heritage Minister Darragh O’Brien (Fianna Fail, Dublin Fingal)
Tel: (01) 618 3802 OR (086) 251 9893
Email: darragh.obrien@oireachtas.ie; minister@housing.gov.ie; natureconservation@housing.gov.ie; WildlifeLicence@housing.gov.ie
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DarraghOBrienTD
X: http://twitter.com/DarraghOBrienTD

Minister of State for Nature Malcolm Noonan TD (Green Party, Carlow Kilkenny)
Tel: (01) 618 3148 OR (01) 618 3156
Email: mos@housing.gov.ie; malcolm.noonan@oireachtas.ie
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MinisterMalcolmNoonan/
X: https://twitter.com/noonan_malcolm

Urge government party leaders Simon Harris, Micheal Martin and Eamon Ryan to urgently put in place protection for the Old Irish Goat.

Simon Harris TD
Leader, Fine Gael
Telephone: +353 (0)1 618 3805 or +353 (0)1 889 2442
Email: simon.harris@oireachtas.ie; finegael@finegael.ie
X: http://www.twitter.com/SimonHarrisTD
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DeputySimonHarris

Micheál Martin
Leader, Fianna Fail
Email: micheal.martin@oireachtas.ie; info@fiannafail.ie
Phone: +353 (0)1–618 4350 or +353 (0)21-432 0088
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michealmartintd/
X: http://www.twitter.com/@MichealMartinTD

Eamon Ryan
Leader, Green Party
Tel: 01 618 3894
Email: eamon.ryan@oireachtas.ie
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EamonRyanGP/
X: https://twitter.com/EamonRyan