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Retired greyhounds 'killed off'
18/07/2006 08:19 - (SA)
London - Greyhound racing's governing body said on Monday it had launched an investigation into a media report that thousands of dogs have been killed once they became too old to compete.
An investigation by The Sunday Times newspaper focused on a
site in the Durham area of northern England where it said some
10 000 former racing greyhounds had been put down over the past
15 years, simply because they had become too old to compete.
It alleged the animals were killed with a bolt gun - which
is legal under current law.
An official at the National Greyhound Racing Club said the
inquiry would start immediately.
Anyone connected with the club and found to have been
involved would be disciplined, he added.
Regulation
Animal welfare minister Ben Bradshaw said greyhound racing
faced losing its right to regulate itself if it did not "clean
up its act".
"Greyhound racers should be in no doubt that they are
drinking in the last chance saloon as far as self-regulation is
concerned," he said.
Government lawyers will study the evidence compiled by The
Sunday Times to see if any offences have been committed.
'Totally unnecessary slaughter'
The RSPCA animal charity said the sport needs to act.
"This is a huge and totally unnecessary slaughter. There is
no justification for killing these animals simply because they
can't do their job any more," said a spokesperson.
Traditionally a working class preserve, dog-racing has
become increasingly upmarket in recent years. Large greyhound
stadiums offer corporate hospitality similar to those at
horse-racing tracks. About £1.6bn a year is bet on
the races held on Britain's 31 tracks.
Racing greyhounds, three quarters of which come from
Ireland, can begin to run competitively from 15 months and
usually retire before they are seven.
Because the animals have a natural life-span of up to 12-15
years, many former racers are taken as pets by their owners, are
found homes by the Retired Greyhound Trust or are used for
breeding.
A 2003 report commissioned by the All Party Group for Animal
Welfare in the Welsh Assembly suggested as many as 600
greyhounds in Wales and 12 000 in Britain were being killed or
abandoned every year.
- Reuters
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