Animal Liberation Tasmania’s report, “A Few Bad Apples”, paints a terrible – and accurate – picture of the greyhound industry in Tasmania. It details the neglect and cruelty inflicted on these gentle dogs, more than half of whom don’t make it past three years of age.
The report also details a litany of breaches of rules, and mega-trainers that are too big to fail.
This is greyhound racing in lutruwita/Tasmania.
This brutal industry relies on cruelty, pain and suffering, and the regular premature deaths of dogs injured or discarded once their profit-making days are over. This all happens on the public purse.
ALT compiled government data, and the statistics in the report are confronting. More than 5% of the nearly 750 dogs raced between August 2023 and July 2024 are dead, and half of the died at three years old or younger.
It tells the story of gentle dogs passed from trainer to trainer, raced until they are injured or surplus to need. Then they are killed, set aside for breeding, forgotten – or, if they’re very lucky, rehomed.
When presented with the report, the Racing Minister obfuscated about the state of the industry. One good thing, however, was Minister Howlett’s commitment to prohibiting greyhounds being sold or given away on Gumtree.
While it’s impossible to remove all cruelty from an industry that relies upon it, this is a modest but reform.
The Greens will not stop fighting for the end of greyhound racing. We want to see these beautiful dogs run free.
