8 July 2016 | MEDIA RELEASE
Greyhound racing ban in NSW
and ACT applauded
Animal advocacy group SAFE welcomes the greyhound racing bans announced
by the NSW and ACT State Governments.
The bans follow a Commission of Inquiry report showing widespread and systemic
animal abuse.
“The Australian bans are an enormous step forward in abolishing this cruel pastime and
SAFE is calling on the New Zealand Government to follow suit,” says SAFE Executive
Director Hans Kriek.
Greyhound racing sees many dogs die each year. Some get injured on the track and are
killed as their injuries will prevent them from racing again. An even larger number of
healthy dogs are killed simply because they do not run fast enough and therefore do not
provide a financial return.
“The Australian greyhound racing industry used to claim that their animals were well
looked after and that participants were in it for the love of their dogs. It took an
undercover investigation by animal rights groups to blow these lies out of the water,”
says Mr Kriek.
“It was discovered that many dogs die on the track and that thousands of healthy
animals are destroyed each year. Many greyhound trainers were also found to be
involved in the practice of live baiting to train their dogs. Live baiting means that small
live animals such as piglets or rabbits are used as lures to be chased and ripped apart
by the dogs.”
SAFE is calling on the New Zealand Government to launch an independent inquiry into
the New Zealand greyhound racing industry. It must also stop letting the industry police
itself. “The Australian experience shows that industry representatives cannot be trusted
to speak the truth. Our Government must take action to stop this needless suffering,”
says Mr Kriek.