The greyhound toll at racetracks in the U.K. rose last year for the first time since records began to be kept seven years ago, leading to renewed calls to ban the alleged sport, The Independent newspaper reported.
A total of 109 dogs died at the U.K.’s 20 official tracks, the paper said, quoting statistics from the Greyhound Board of Great Britain. An additional 427, or 7.2% of the known racing population, died away from the tracks or were put down, against 5.5% in 2022, for reasons like treatment costs, veterinary advice, and failure to find people to adopt them.
Opponents of greyhound racing say the dogs’ welfare is sacrificed for the entertainment of humans and profits of gamblers. GBGB Chief Executive Mark Bird, however, claimed that “our work around track safety is beginning to show positive results” and blamed the economic downturn in the U.K. for the failure to find forever homes for retired dogs.
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When the GBGB began recording official tallies in 2017, some 257 greyhounds died at runs in one year, the newspaper reported. For each of the following five years, the greyhound toll dropped, reaching 99 in 2022, before rising again last year.
Over the five years, the proportion of deaths among dogs at tracks fell from 0.06% to 0.03%. Last year’s deaths still represented 0.03%. The number of injuries recorded were 4,238, a slight drop on most years except 2020. Navigating bends during the races means the dogs are subjected to asymmetrical forces, and their instinct to catch the mechanical hare means they go as fast as possible, risking collision with other dogs.
Leading animal-welfare organizations the League Against Cruel Sports and the Cut the Chase Coalition, which includes Dogs Trust, Blue Cross, and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, both renewed calls for the racing to be banned.
Emma Judd, head of campaigns at the League Against Cruel Sports, said: “The inherently unsafe nature of racing greyhounds around oval tracks is causing an unacceptable death toll and an inordinate number of injuries…. Greyhounds are being sacrificed for the profits of the gambling industry and people’s entertainment.”
