Greyhound Races Go Ahead in Extreme Heat

Media release – Rosalie Woodruff MP, Greens Leader, 22 February 2024

Greyhound Welfare Ignored in Heatwave

The racing industry is putting profits before animal welfare – again – pushing ahead with greyhound races in Hobart tonight. This is despite southern Tasmania being in the midst of a heatwave and the high risks this poses for greyhounds.

The welfare of the greyhounds racing travelling to, and racing in, Hobart this evening at Elwick Racecourse has been completely ignored by Tasracing and the Office of Racing Integrity.

The Greens wrote to Tasracing and ORI this morning, raises the high risks, but have not yet had a response.

Greyhounds are particularly susceptible to heat stress and heat stroke due to their slender bodies. Their low body fat makes insulating themselves against extreme heat very difficult.

Temperatures in and around Hobart are at around 36 degrees. The high risk of dogs suffering serious heat stress, or heatstroke which is often fatal, has been completely brushed aside by racing bodies.

Greyhounds will be transported in metal trailers from across the state to Hobart today. Those trailers are crowded – no place for vulnerable dogs in 36 degree heat.

Given this serious risk to the dozens of dogs involved in races planned today, it is scandalous the Hobart races have not been cancelled.

Statement – Tasracing, 22 February 2024

Welfare measures for Hobart, 22 February

Due to the forecast of hot weather, Tasracing have taken measures to ensure the safety of animals and participants at the Hobart greyhound meeting on Thursday night, 22 February.

• The temperature at the start of the first race is expected to be <30 degrees with a strong nor-westerly wind (30-45 km/hr), which will aid in cooling greyhounds and reduce the perceived air temperature dramatically.
• Greyhounds travelling to the races will be in transport trailers equipped with ventilation vents, which maximise airflow to assist in keeping travelling dogs comfortable. Water will be available for dogs during travel.
• On arrival at the track in the afternoon, all greyhounds will be examined by a team of three vets, two of whom will specifically check the dog’s hydration and thermal comfort levels.
• On arrival and throughout the night, ice baths and chilled water hoses will be available for use, and all greyhounds will be provided with fresh drinking water at the track.
• Kennelling times will be brought forward and extended to ensure that all greyhounds are in the comforts of the air-conditioned kennels for maximum time.
• For the first six races of the night, there will be shortened intervals between races to limit dogs’ time spent outside of the air-conditioned kennels.
• All greyhounds racing on Thursday night will be provided with a minimum 30-min interval in the air-conditioned kennels after they complete their race to ensure they maintain thermal comfort levels.
• Trials following the races have been cancelled to ensure that the housing capacity of the air-conditioned kennels is not exceeded.

Media release – Animal Liberation Tasmania, 22 February 2024

Animal Liberation Tasmania condemns greyhound racing in extreme heat

Today, Animal Liberation Tasmania learned that Tasracing and the Hobart Greyhound Racing Club intends to hold a a greyhound racing meet tonight at Elwick, despite the extreme temperatures.

After enduring a 36 degree day, dogs will be transported to the track, many from across the state, in metal trailers. There, they will be forced to race, with temperatures predicted to remain around 30 degrees at the scheduled time for the first race.

Multiple emails were sent by concerned members of the public, to which only a few received a reply. Concerns were not addressed, with Tasracing posting to their Twitter account that the race would proceed.

Furthermore, attempts to contact ORI and Tasracing via email were shortly after blocked.

The Hobart Greyhound Racing Club posted to Facebook that trials would be cancelled, but the race meet itself would go ahead.

One trainer listed as racing was travelling from Burnie, a near 320km journey one way.

Tasracing stated numerous mitigation strategies including ice baths and chilled water. In cases of heat stress and stroke, such things can cause vasoconstriction, whereby blood vessels constrict effectively flushing blood to the body core, exacerbating the problem. Tasracing also stated that trailers have ventilation; there is a significant difference between ventilation and stable temperature control via air-conditioning.

The only acceptable scenario would be to prevent the dogs from being exposed to these conditions in their entirety, by cancelling the meet.

Animal Liberation Tasmania condemns in the strongest terms possible the sheer lack of consideration for greyhounds who will be forced to over-exert themselves during such extreme temperatures. We are advised as members of the public to do everything in our power to protect companion animals during high temperatures, and yet the greyhound industry has chosen profits and prizes over the welfare of the dogs, yet again.

Any claims this industry attempts to make regarding animal welfare are utterly negated by this lack of action. All officials, participants and punters who support tonight’s meet should hang their heads in shame.