At a racing meet last Wednesday, six dogs were injured at the Whanganui greyhound racing track. Two of the dogs suffered broken legs, with a third suspected. Two of the dogs are undergoing x-rays to confirm.

The last four races of the meeting were eventually abandoned due to poor weather.
SAFE spokesperson Will Appelbe said the Whanganui track has a terrible record.

"It was another shocking day on a dangerous track," said Appelbe

"It’s appalling that dogs are still suffering from serious injuries and broken bones, essentially for gambling purposes. Any time dogs are raced they are at risk of serious injury and death."

Racing Minister Grant Robertson recently put the greyhound racing industry formally on notice following the release of the greyhound racing review. In his review, Sir Bruce Robertson reiterated that by its nature, greyhound racing is inherently dangerous. This was a point also made in the 2017 Hansen Report.

"This latest round of injuries is indicative of an industry that puts profit ahead of the welfare of dogs."

"It’s good to see the Government is taking dog racing seriously by putting the greyhound racing industry on notice. Until they take the next step and ban greyhound racing, dogs like the ones raced in Whanganui will continue to suffer ."

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Injuries at Whanganui race track, 15 September 2021:

- With Batter, fractured radius/ulna

- Pliskova, fractured hock.

- Super Gold, torn longhead triceps.

- Porcelain Panda, bruising to right semimembranosus.

- Big Time Fairy, possible fractured foot, x-rays required to confirm.

- Flip It, swelling in tendons and injured hock, x-rays required to confirm.

Notes for editors:

- 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.

- Last month, 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 New Zealand’s 2020 annual report.

- Photos of dogs rescued by the Greyhound Protection League.

- 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.

- Information about greyhound racing in Aotearoa.

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