Media release – Animal Liberation Tasmania, 21 September 2023
Greyhound industry traceability claims exposed
An undercover investigator has exposed the greyhound racing industry’s claims of greyhound traceability as baseless.
On 10 September 2023 the investigator, using a pseudonym and false details, arranged to collect a greyhound offered for free by syndicate owners on Gumtree. The meeting was arranged for a public dog wash. The audio of the encounter was recorded.
Using her listed name, birthdate, and ear tattoo, Animal Liberation Tasmania has identified the greyhound as Zipping Princess. Born in 2020 in NSW, she was passed through five trainers in four separate states, rarely remaining with a trainer longer than a few months. Her last race was in Tasmania on the 24/7/23.
Her body condition was poor. Her coat was full of fleas, flea dirt, dried skin, and smelled like sulfur powder (a home remedy for fleas). She had a bloodied ear due to scratching at the fleas. Bald patches and old scars were apparent across her body. Her tail had been broken at some point in her life. She was lacking in energy, and uninterested in food. She was emotionally withdrawn and fearful.
The owner is recorded as stating that she was ‘scared’ of one of her recent trainers, intimating rough handling.
Zipping Princess was placed with a private rescue who are experienced with greyhounds. They named her ‘Jarrah’.
On Wednesday 13th September she was rushed to the vet for emergency surgery, having become inappetent and lethargic. The clinic was by chance the same that had spayed her, two weeks prior to rehoming.* Surgery revealed that adhesions had rapidly formed after her desexing; her vet record shows that these adhesions were present prior to desexing and noted by the vet. Adhesions form due to infection, trauma, or surgery; there were no signs she had had abdominal surgery at any time in her life prior. The adhesions were strangling her bowel, blood vessels were twisted, and tissue was dying. Over 10cm of bowel was resected. Hopes for her recovery were high.
However, whilst under emergency vet supervision overnight, Jarrah crashed. The next morning her rescuers including the undercover investigator held her as she was humanely put to sleep.
She was only three years old.
During the exchange on 10th of September, the investigator was not asked to provide any form of identification, no proof of address, nor for photographs showing the housing the greyhound would live in. The form that was filled in and signed was not the official retirement/rehoming form listed on the NRE Office of Racing Integrity website. No details of the dog or owners were filled out on the form, and the owner instructed the investigator not to fill in the date. The exchange took merely 10 minutes.
Gumtree listings and the recorded exchange of Zipping Princess at a dog wash indicate many dogs are being privately rehomed out of the industry. The Quarterly Breeding, Race Injury and Retirement report for April to June 2023 shows nearly 1/3 of greyhounds who retired out of the industry in that period were privately rehomed to a third party.
Recently, the Office of Racing Integrity were asked to provide details of their current rehoming and traceability policy. This is yet to be provided. Furthermore, they stated that greyhounds rehomed privately by owners were ‘entirely traceable’.
“The story of Zipping Princess proves that any claims to transparency are baseless. Anyone can take a greyhound through private rehoming, if there are no safeguards such as ID checks in place. There is also no way to determine the health of the greyhounds who are being privately rehomed, nor to follow what the outcomes are for these dogs. The industry fails yet again.” – Kristy Alger, spokesperson Animal Liberation Tasmania.
“The recent Bullock report advised that a lifetime traceability policy be enacted, however the Office of Racing Integrity has stated that these dogs are already safeguarded and traceable. This is manifestly untrue. How many dogs over the years have been rehomed with no safety net?” – Kristy Alger, spokesperson Animal Liberation Tasmania.
“Imagine if Zipping Princess had ended up in the hands of someone who simply did not care, or did not know the signs of her illness; she would have died a terrible and painful death. As it is, the grief felt by the investigator and rescue group is overwhelming. And now a private rescue group is left with vet bills in the thousands.” – Kristy Alger, spokesperson Animal Liberation Tasmania.
“How can the general public have any faith in this industry and its claims to animal welfare, when a dog like Zipping Princess can be passed from trainer to trainer, state to state, and then end up rehomed with no identity or home checks to a complete stranger via Gumtree? Had an investigator not explored this situation no one would have known.” – Kristy Alger, spokesperson Animal Liberation Tasmania.
*Note: whilst the vet clinic attended was coincidentally the same one that had desexed her, having recognised her they did not reveal any information as to identity, including only information from her prior health records that were relevant to her treatment under the care of the rescue group.
Media release – Kristie Johnston MP, 21 September 2023
Disappearing Greyhounds
Statement from Kristie Johnston MP on the release of information from Animal Liberation Tasmania about the greyhound Princess (racing name Zipping Princess).
The tragic story of Princess highlights yet again that the greyhound racing industry see greyhounds as commodities that can be tossed aside when they no longer make them money.
I have been concerned for some time about greyhounds that go “missing” from the industry. As part of their business model, the industry breeds far more dogs than it needs each year and they describe the surplus as “wastage”. Some of these dogs are rescued and rehomed through organisations such as the RSPCA, the Dogs Home, Brightside Farm Sanctuary, but many simply disappear classified as “privately rehomed”.
The Office of Racing Integrity has tried to reassure me in the past that dogs privately rehomed are traceable and that their welfare is assured. I simply do not believe it and Princess is evidence that many are not.
Clearly “private rehoming” is industry code for “disposing”. No checks, no records, and no care or responsibility. Yet again the greyhounds suffer, the community are disgusted but the industry and Government continue on business as usual.
Media release – Rosalie Woodruff MP, Greens Leader, 21 September 2023
Greyhound Traceability Claims Debunked by Undercover Investigation
An undercover investigation by Animal Liberation Tasmania has exposed the falsity of claims made by the Liberal Government and racing industry that there is transparency, traceability and accountability about what happens to greyhounds. The serious problems exposed by this investigation demand strong and immediate regulatory reforms.
For many years animal advocates and the Greens have highlighted the cruel nature of greyhound racing, and called for rigorous rules to trace exactly what happens throughout the life of any dog unfortunate enough to be used by this industry. When dogs aren’t properly tracked, how can we be confident they are properly cared for?
Instead of acting on the string of transparency and cruelty concerns over the years, the Liberals – supported by Labor – continually choose supporting the racing industry business model ahead of the rights of innocent animals. Animals are acceptable collateral damage for this profit-driven ndustry.
Minister after minister have claimed greyhound racing is safe, and defended the failed policies for dog rehoming and traceability. This shameful denial of reality by successive ministers has meant dogs continue to suffer – from birth, throughout the harsh years of racing, and after industry owners have ruthlessly discarded them when they’re not making a profit.
The investigation outlined by Animal Liberation Tasmania is truly tragic and points to a systemic, callous attitude in the greyhound racing industry, enabled by deficient regulation. It shows a determined cover up in tracking the history and identity of this dog, which bred the conditions for her abuse and neglect.
Animal advocates are doing everything they can to shine a spotlight on the ongoing issues in this heartless industry. There have been years of damning evidence, and the Tasmanian community expects the Liberals to act now.
The Greens recognise the greyhound racing industry is inherently harmful for animals, and needs to be shut down. At bare minimum, the Racing Minister Felix Ellis needs to regulate to trace what happens to greyhounds, and make sure owners and trainers are accountable for animal abuse and neglect.
Media release – Dean Winter MP, Shadow Minister for Racing, 21 September 2023
New Racing Minister blissfully ignorant about critical issues
New Racing Minister Felix Ellis sounded blissfully unaware of the continued dominance of the Ben Yole stable this morning on ABC radio as he claimed no stable could have more than fifty per cent of a race field.
“We’ve made some changes in TasRacing so that you’ll see no more than fifty per cent of a typical race from one particular trainer or owner, effectively,” Minister Ellis told Leon Compton.
In fact, the very next race on the harness race schedule contains seven out of seven runners trained by Ben Yole. On that card on Friday in Hobart, six out of the 10 races contain more than half of the field trained by Mr Yole.
The fact Minister Ellis thought the issue had already been resolved is extremely concerning.
Having entire fields dominated by one trainer so regularly is bad for the sport, bad for the industry and bad for integrity. That needs to be acknowledged, not blissfully ignored.
