The Asia for Animals Coalition supports a campaign led by ANIMA Macau to close this track., based on the significant animal welfare implications associated with greyhound racing.
Greyhounds racing at the Canidrome are destroyed when they fail to place in the top three of five consecutive races.[1] A government vet, overseeing the import and destruction of every dog at the Canidrome, described the plight of the greyhounds as “terrible” and said every dog imported to Macau from Australia was dead within around three years, with an estimated 30 dogs being destroyed every month. Only a few of them are said to be euthanised because they are injured. For most of them, it is because they can’t win races. There is no adoption or retirement program for the dogs, so ultimately, no greyhound leaves the track alive.
Up until 2013, the majority of the greyhounds racing in Macau were imported from Australia, and in 2012 alone a total of 378 greyhounds were imported.
The AfA Coalition wrote to the Australian Prime Minister and ‘Greyhound Australasia’ to express our concerns regarding the welfare and fate of the greyhounds exported from Australia to Macau, urging the immediate end to this trade. Click here to see a copy of this letter
Subsequently, in March 2013 Greyhounds Australasia suspended issuing passports for dogs to be shipped to Macau as a result of preliminary investigations as part of its review of Australian Greyhound Export Welfare Standards. It was found that Macau did not meet its required standards for countries seeking to import Australian Greyhounds. This decision was communicated to all known greyhound exporters and the federal government. Unfortunately exports have continued despite this suspension of the passports.
The AfA coalition have written to the Chief Executive of Macau calling for the closure of the Canidrome when the land lease expires in 2015.[2]
[1] Parry, S. (2012, December 16). Owners angry as Macau Canidrome fails to stop euthanizing retired dogs. South China Morning Post. Retrieved from http://www.grey2kusa.org/pdf/12-17-12-southchinapost.pdf [2] Rosenman, O. (2013, September 1). 50 years in operation for Macau’s canidrome for greyhound races. South China Morning Post. Retrieved from http://www.scmp.com/
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