|
Urge Order of Malta to disassociate from cruel hare coursing
08 May 2015
Irish voluntary first-aid organisation, Order of Malta, is being urged to show compassion for Irish wildlife and end its association with cruel hare coursing.
The Order of Malta's Clonmel Facebook page reveals that the group was present at the "first day of the national coursing meet in Clonmel" this year. A posting from a previous year shows the Order of Malta First Aid Station at the Powerstown Park venue and the message "Good week of duty over in Clonmel, with coursing and races".
The Order of Malta says it has nearly 4,000 members "volunteering their time to provide first-aid medical services at community and large national events".
"Our overriding mission is to help the sick, the needy and the most disadvantaged in society," it states.
In an email to the Order of Malta's Dublin headquarters, ICABS praised the organisation's valuable work across the country but pointed out that volunteering at an animal cruelty event at which defenceless animals are forced to run for their lives is surely contrary to the Order of Malta's ethos of compassion and alleviating suffering.
"The coursing meeting in Clonmel is the culmination of a season of animal cruelty," we stated in our letter. "Photographs taken at the first day of this year's event show hares desperately running for their lives in front of greyhounds."
"Every coursing season, hares are hit and mauled, resulting in painful injuries and deaths," we added. "Injuries include bruises, broken bones and dislocated hips. This is not the type of activity the Order of Malta should be associating with."
Urge the Order of Malta to stop providing volunteers to the national hare coursing meeting in Clonmel.
Order of Malta Ireland,
St John's House,
32 Clyde Road,
Ballsbridge, Dublin 4
Tel: 01-6430000
Email: info@orderofmalta.ie,chancellery@orderofmalta.ie
Video: Hare terrorised at Clonmel coursing cruelty festival
Videos: Ireland's cruel hare coursing
Make a donation to ICABS
Please consider making a donation to ICABS. For more details, please click on the button below or follow this link to find out how to become a campaign supporter. Thank you.
