THE Killinick Harriers found themselves at the centre of a social media storm last week when a concerned member of the local community contacted their official Facebook page inquiring about a pet cat which had gone missing around the time that the Killinick Harriers had been hunting the land nearby the lady’s house.

The Facebook page named ‘Killinick Harriers’ had been set up a number of years ago by a former member of the hunt to keep Facebook followers up to date on social events etc. Members of the hunt committee were aware that the page had been set up and that the former hunt member was the sole administrator of the page.

The concerned lady contacted the Killinick Harriers Facebook page via private message where she expressed her concern over the Killinick Harriers hunting in such close proximity to a residential area and asked if the hunt had seen her cat as it had been missing for a number of hours.

RESPONSE

The lady believed she was contacting an official representative of the hunt and was outraged when she received the following response from the Killinick Harriers Facebook page:

“I will mention your upset to the hunt staff and I am sure they will reflect on your issues with great intention. Also perhaps if this is not just to do with hunting dogs then you should put up clear signs advising No Dogs Allowed on your property maybe the dogs will be able to read the sign and know not to go in there ever again.

“Thank you for your message and we do apologise again for one animal chasing another.”

Upon receiving this reply, the lady took a screenshot and posted a picture of the reply on her own Facebook page. The image was widely shared on social media where the majority of people voiced their support for the lady’s outrage and called into question the integrity of the Killinick Harriers.

STATEMENT

Before long, members of the Killinick Harriers committee were made aware of what had happened and took immediate action to rectify the situation. Chairman of the Killinick Harriers, Scott Mernagh, told The Irish Field that: “We don’t blame the lady for posting the response that she received. As soon as I was made aware of the situation, I rang the lady in question and apologised to her personally. Thankfully, her cat had returned safe and sound and she accepted the apology.

“We then contacted the administrator of the Facebook page who passed over administrative rights to me. I, along with the secretary of the hunt, now have control over the Facebook page. A meeting was held last Sunday regarding this situation and it was a lesson to all of us on the damage that can be done on social media.

“I will be looking at the possibility of hunting that area again in the future but the likelihood is that we probably won’t hunt there any more.”

Following the change of administration, an official statement was posted on the Killinick Harriers Facbook page where Mernagh, on behalf of the Killinick Harriers, apologised for the regrettable incident and assured hunt members, landowners and community members that they would ensure all posts and messaging going forward would be a correct representation of the club that “prides itself on its relationship with local landowners and communities”.