More Greyhounds Killed, Injured by Pointless ‘Sport’

Media release – Animal Liberation Tasmania, 24 November 2023

Two greyhounds killed in one day, two seriously injured only days earlier

We are releasing a sad update to our media release of yesterday, where we reported on the injuries sustained by four greyhounds within five days on Tasmanian tracks.

“We said yesterday that injuries such as fractured hocks all too often proved fatal for greyhounds exploited by this industry. Sadly this proved the case for both Where’s Lily (Lynden Nichols) and Sin Wrap Comet (Morris Strickland).”

“Two lives taken, after accidents on the same track on the same day, just one day before Felix Ellis MP sang the praises of the industry and dared use the word “humane” in the same sentence as greyhound racing.”

“This is morally abhorrent in every way.”  Kristy Alger, spokesperson Animal Liberation Tasmania

Where’s Lily and Sin Rap Comet are the second and third known deaths rating to track injuries for this season, following the catastrophic injury inflicted upon Buckle Up Adalyn (Gary Johnson) in late August. Whether there are more, we are unable to determine.

Kylian (Carol Nash) and Fawn Shadow (Gary Fahey) are reportedly recovering with their trainers.

Watch the races that injured four greyhounds and killed two: https://vimeo.com/887782337

Tasmanian tracks carnage from Animal Liberation Tasmania on Vimeo.

Media release – Animal Liberation Tasmania 23 November 2023

Four greyhounds sustain potentially life-ending injuries in five days of racing

As Felix Ellis repeated ad nauseum to the business scrutiny committee that animal racing in Tasmania was “fair, humane, and financially sustainable,” stewards reports revealed four greyhounds had sustained potentially life-ending injuries on Tasmanian tracks within the week just prior. Two of those greyhounds are from the same kennels, and two sustained the injury at the same race meet.

Fawn Shadow, Kylian, Where’s Lily, and Sin Rap Comet each fractured a hock whilst racing.

• Fawn Shadow (trainer Gary Fahey): 16/11/2023 Hobart. Stood down 90 days.
• Kylian (trainer Carol Nash): 20/11/2023 Launceston. Stood down 6 months.
• Where’s Lily (trainer Lynden Nichols): 21/11/2023 Launceston. Stood down 60 days.
• Sin Rap Comet (trainer Morris Strickland): 21/11/2023 Launceston. Stood down 60 days.

Animal Liberation Tasmania has contacted Justin Helmich of the Office of Racing Integrity inquiring as to the outcomes for these dogs. We hold grave concerns for them all; greyhounds have been killed for less.

Of further concern is the delisting of Lynden Nichols as trainer for Where’s Lily, only two days after her injury. She currently has no trainer listed.

Also of concern are possible outcomes for Kylian, whose injury is severe enough to warrant a 6 month stand down.

Lynden Nichols and Carol Nash train in partnership at the same property in Birralee, subject to our recent exposé into conditions at the kennels. Now two of their dogs have sustained a Category D injury, with a real risk.of euthanasia for both.

“The racing minister repeated the line “fair, humane, sustainable” constantly throughout the scrutiny committee. It’s not fair to place a dog in an environment of heightened risk for injuries. It’s not humane to gamble on dogs fracturing their legs. It’s not sustainable for those individual dogs facing potential death because it’s often more financially viable to kill them than rehabilitate them.”

“This is entirely unacceptable, that four dogs should suffer such serious injuries to make money for Tasracing, the trainers and owners, and the punters.”

“We heard from Ellis in the committee that “it’s a punter’s sport, that’s kind of the point.” Good to see that acknowledged, because it’s sure as hell not a sport for these dogs.”

Media release – Rosalie Woodruff MP, Greens Leader, 24 November 2023

Four More Greyhounds MIA After Injury

Revelations from Animal Liberation Tasmania that four greyhounds have been catastrophically injured during racing in the last week will be distressing to many. The painful fate of Fawn Shadow, Kylian, Where’s Lily and Sin Rap Comet, however, is the reality of this brutal industry.

Three of those gentle dogs were injured in the two days before Racing Minister, Felix Ellis and Tasracing chiefs fronted the GBE scrutiny committee this week.

How Minister Ellis and his racing cronies could sit at the Committee Table and claim the industry was “fair, humane and financially sustainable” is beyond us. The very night before, the greyhounds Where’s Lily and Sin Rap Comet were injured so badly they were stood down from racing for two months.

Where are these four greyhounds now? It’s regularly the case that dogs just disappear from the records following a major track injury. The tracking and oversight of this profit-making industry’s greyhound ‘assets’ is abysmal.

The Greens have written to the Minister’s Office and the Office of Racing Integrity asking for an urgent update on the status of all four greyhounds. This cruel industry must be held to account and can’t be allowed to get away with disappearing dogs.

Is this kind of inherent industry cruelty the sort of thing that makes Minister Ellis’ “blood boil”? Or is it simply the brutality he accepts of an industry he claims is part of the “Tasmanian way of life”.

Every month we see greyhounds race, collide, suffer catastrophic injuries and then disappear – feared dead. The industry and its failed regulation has turned a blind eye – and once again, ALT have done the job of government.

Felix Ellis, in GBE Estimates: ”…we want racing to be fair, humane and financially sustainable, and that’s a critical part of it because it helps us to ensure it continues being a part of the way of life here in Tasmania. “