Dr Raj Wicks at his Taroona Clinic this week with his greyhound Rosie.
A rally at Hobart’s Parliament Lawns on Sunday 24 July (11am-12noon) will call on the Tasmanian Government to join New South Wales and the ACT in bringing an end to greyhound racing.
Speaking at the rally will be Andrea Dawkins MP, Greens Member for Bass, Andrew Wilkie, Independent Member for Denison, and veterinarian and greyhound owner Dr Raj Wicks of The Dog Clinic, Taroona.
‘The Tasmanian Joint Select Committee on Greyhound Racing has seen a mountain of evidence condemning the culture of cruelty in this industry, which is no different to other Australian states,’ coordinator of the rally and Let greyhounds run free, Fran Chambers, says.
‘Despite industry claims of reform, greyhounds continue to be injured and die every week, and are confined to small kennels with little freedom of movement or socialisation.
‘Between April and June there have been nine greyhound deaths and 189 injuries at Tasmanian races. Every year, hundreds more are euthanised. Owners and trainers simply tick a box marked ‘poor performance’ or ‘lack of ability’ on an Office of Racing Integrity form called Notification of a retired greyhound.
‘The industry cannot begin to claim credibility until all greyhounds are tracked from birth, with all timely, transparent records of breeding, injuries, deaths and adoptions. This information is not available.’
‘The Tasmanian government props up greyhound racing to the tune of $5M per year, a strong indicator that the industry is neither economically viable nor sustainable,’ Andrea Dawkins says. ‘That’s $5M that could be spent in our community in far less controversial and more contemporary ways.
‘Greyhound racing has lost any creditability it had and is losing community support. The notion that an animal is property and can be treated in any manner the “owner” wishes is not reflected in law, not reflected in wider social acceptance and not reflected in the idea of a sustainable greyhound industry.’
Andrew Wilkie agrees that greyhound racing is inherently cruel and should be banned.
‘Tasmania should follow New South Wales and ban the so-called sport, or at least stop the generous taxpayer-funded handouts to the greyhound racing industry,’ he says.
‘But it shouldn’t be left up to the states and territories: if the Federal Government genuinely cared about animal welfare it would have shut the industry down a long time ago.’
Dr Raj Wicks has an adopted greyhound named Rosie. He says Rosie is a wonderful, gentle companion to his two young daughters. ‘If you’re looking for a pet, a greyhound is really one that would suit a young family with kids,’ he says.
The Hobart rally is part of the international ‘March for the Murdered Million’, an event being held worldwide to commemorate all the greyhounds that have died since greyhound racing began in the United Kingdom on Sunday 24 July, 1926.
Clare Knight
