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.

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