Source: MIL-OSI Submissions
Source: SAFE For Animals
Yesterday at Addington raceway, the greyhound Gary collided with other dogs and tumbled shortly after reaching the lure, having just crossed the finish line. He was trampled by four other dogs, which caused a catastrophic injury to his right front leg. The dog could be seen limping after the fall and was later euthanised at the track.
SAFE spokesperson Will Appelbe said deaths and injuries like this are unavoidable with greyhound racing.
“It’s disgraceful that dogs have to endure this kind of treatment for the benefit of the racing industry,” said Appelbe
“The race footage shows several dogs jostling for the lure, which led to the dog’s fall and subsequent injuries. It’s just another example of how greyhound racing is inherently dangerous, which is well documented by two independent reviews of the industry.”
So far, in this racing season alone there have been 7 deaths and over 600 injuries. In 2017, the Hanson report stated that greyhound racing is inherently dangerous, which was repeated in the most recent Robertson review, published in 2021.
Racing Minister Grant Robertson has since given the greyhound racing industry until the end of 2022 to make improvements to transparency, data recording and animal welfare, or risk closure.
“No amount of fluffy PR from Greyhound Racing New Zealand can change the fact that they are putting dogs at risk every day.”
“Until the Government implements a total ban on greyhound racing, these dogs will continue to suffer.”
SAFE is New Zealand’s leading animal rights organisation.
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– Stewards report from the race meeting. Gary’s fall occurred in race four.
– Racing Minister Grant Robertson has stated there are three fundamental issues that still need to be addressed; data recording, transparency of all activities, and animal welfare generally. He has tasked the Racing Integrity board to identify a specific set of indicators over each of these areas that will be used to assess the industry’s progress, reporting back to the Minister before the end of 2022.
– In August 2021, Labour MP Priyanca Radhakrishnan accepted The Greyhound Protection League of New Zealand’s 37,700 signature-strong petition, calling for a ban on greyhound racing in New Zealand. SAFE had been supporting the petition since November 2020.
– Greyhound racing is legal in only seven countries. A ban in the Australian Capital Territory came into force in April 2018, followed by a ban in Florida, USA, in November 2018. Since Florida is home to 11 of the USA’s 17 active dog tracks, this is a signal that greyhound racing will soon become a thing of the past in the United States.
