The confronting demise of a greyhound throughout a race in Wagga Wagga final week has reignited the controversy over accidents and deaths at racing tracks in New South Wales.
Key factors:
- An anti-racing group has described Jthe demise as “traumatic” and “barbaric”
- Joyous Treasure was the twenty seventh canine to die on a NSW observe this yr
- The intense damage fee has remained stagnant since 2018, regardless of $30 million in grants being supplied for security enhancements
Warning: This text incorporates pictures that some readers might discover distressing.
In race one on Friday Joyous Treasure was killed in an accident that track-side veterinarian Seamus McKillop described as “very uncommon”.
“In my time within the trade as an on observe veterinarian of 19 years I’ve by no means seen that incident,” he mentioned.
“I’ve seen incidents which have injured canine, however hitting its head on the operating rail?
“I’ve by no means seen earlier than.”
Video launched by the Coalition for the Safety of Greyhounds (CPG) reveals the confronting second the canine collides with the rail on the method to the bend and flies into the air.
The steward’s report confirms the canine was euthanased after sustaining a fractured neck and head and leg wounds.
Dr McKillop mentioned the demise was “very, very unlucky”.
“The canine received tangled with different competing canine and flipped and hit its head exhausting on a little bit of the operating rail,” he mentioned.
He mentioned deaths had been very uncommon in his expertise as a track-side veterinarian.
Figures from the Greyhound Welfare and Integrity Fee confirmed that Joyous Treasure was the twenty seventh canine to die on a NSW observe this yr.
CPG president Kylie Fields referred to as the incident “nightmarish”.
“The video of this demise is simply traumatic and it is actually barbaric,” she mentioned.
Deaths decline
Within the final eight months 44 greyhounds have died on NSW racetracks.
There have been 64 deaths over the identical interval – from October to Could – in 2018-19.
In 2017 the NSW authorities pledged $30 million in capital grants for security upgrades to greyhound tracks following the controversial banning and reinstatement of the game in 2016.
Since then the speed of great damage has barely decreased, from 168 between October and Could 2018-19 – or a fee of three.29 accidents per 1,000 begins – to 203 in the identical interval this yr, representing a fee of 3.11 per thousand begins.
Between October and June 2021-22 there have been 231 accidents and 39 deaths.
In a prolonged assertion, peak physique Greyhound Racing NSW mentioned accidents had been “part of all sports activities”.
“Critical accidents have been declining since reform of the trade in NSW since 2016 and the perfect efforts are made to minimise and scale back accidents,” a spokesperson mentioned.
However Ms Discipline mentioned the figures confirmed minimal change in comparison with the funding and time.
“That funding into observe security has clearly not performed something and what we’re seeing, on the finish of the day, is canine which are dying and dying actually horrendous deaths,” she mentioned.
Greyhound Racing NSW mentioned the observe at Wagga Wagga was upgraded final August.
It has not acquired any funding from the capital grants program.
Bend debate
A 2017 report commissioned by Greyhound Racing NSW on the optimum design for security of greyhound racing tracks advisable changing oval tracks with straight tracks.
The creator of the report, Professor David Keen, declined to be interviewed by the ABC.
Within the report he wrote bends had been problematic for quite a few causes, together with the hazard of congestion when canine slowed down on the method and the instability brought on by altering route at excessive pace.
Dr McKillop mentioned Joyous Treasure’s demise was a direct results of congestion on the bend.
“That is precisely what occurred on this incident — it was attempting to cross and whereas jostling for place it received unbalanced,” he mentioned.
“Bends are a contributing issue to race falls.”
Greyhound Racing NSW mentioned the canine’s demise was not track-related.
“It was a racing-related incident,” a spokesperson mentioned in a press release.
The height physique criticised the ABC’s protection of anti-greyhound teams, which it described as “disproportionate” and “elitist” in comparison with different sports activities and racing codes.
“The game of greyhound racing in NSW is loved by 1000’s of individuals in regional and rural NSW the place it’s their livelihood,” it mentioned.
Liquor and Gaming NSW’s grant web site reveals that lower than half of the $30 million capital grants program has been allotted up to now and that $500,000 went in direction of the development of a straight observe in Richmond.
Ms Discipline mentioned the funding wanted to be revisited within the wake of Joyous Treasure’s demise.
“We’re asking the minister to analyze this trade — it must be checked out and scrutinised,” she mentioned.
Gaming and Racing Minister David Harris did touch upon Joyous Treasure’s demise, however mentioned in a press release that euthanasia charges had trended down in recent times.
He mentioned all deaths had been investigated by an damage assessment panel.
