There is some good news for those who love greyhounds and are aghast to see them used and abused to enrich gamblers. The government of New Zealand has said it plans to ban greyhound racing because of the “unacceptably high” rate of injuries to the dogs, the BBC reported on Tuesday.
“Despite significant progress made by the greyhound racing industry in recent years, the percentage of dogs being injured remains persistently high,” Racing Minister Winston Peters, also the country’s deputy prime minister, said in a statement. “The time has come to make a call in the best interest of the animals. This is not a decision that is taken lightly but is ultimately driven by protecting the welfare of racing dogs.”
Like elsewhere in the world, the so-called sport of racing greyhounds has long been criticized in New Zealand, with many breeders and trainers accused of animal cruelty and doping. While those who make their living through the business like to claim the dogs are “athletes”, they are in fact more like gladiators. In New Zealand alone, according to the BBC’s report quoting local media, 232 racing greyhounds died and 900 suffered injuries in 2021, following which the industry was put “on notice” in September that year. Yet, in the two-and-a-half years since, animal rights group Safe recorded over 2,500 injuries and nearly 30 deaths.
While introducing a bill to prevent the unnecessary killing of racing dogs, which Peters promised to get passed “under urgency”, the government of New Zealand said it plans to wind down the racing business over the next 20 months. The prolonged closure period is to allow time to rehome the dogs and for the 1,000 or so people employed full-time by the industry to find other occupations. Peters said further legislation would be tabled to end racing.
Animal welfare groups cheered the announcement, with Safe calling it a “monumental win for animal rights”. The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, New Zealand’s oldest animal welfare charity, said it was “ecstatic” and called on other countries, including neighbour Australia, that allow greyhound racing to do the same.
Greyhound Racing New Zealand, an association of dog racing clubs across the country, said it was “devastated”. “The greyhound racing community is left reeling from the announcement,” said Sean Hannan, chairman, “with many voicing concerns over the potential cultural and economic void this decision will create.”
On balance, then, the year has been a good one for activists seeking to end the exploitation of greyhounds. In January, one of England’s oldest greyhound racing tracks was shut after the landowner refused to extend the lease on Henlow Stadium in Bedfordshire. In May, Connecticut in the USA banned greyhound racing, leaving the poor and relatively backward state of West Virginia as the only holdout in the country where the races originated. In July, Latin America’s last surviving greyhound racing track, in Mexico, shut down. And now New Zealand has promised to end the business in less than two years.
The clock is ticking. Australia, the U.K., and Ireland are holding out in the face of increased criticism, reduced acceptance, and dwindling revenues, but for how long is the question.
Sandy Pawpaw
Sandy Pawpaw is a fierce advocate of unleashing the animal in, and with, you.
