The NSW Government Has Made an OBSCENE Donation to a Greyhound Race

Historic events, they say, always occur twice: “Once as tragedy, and again as farce.”

The tragedy happened in 2016, when the New South Wales government backed out of its principled pledge to ban the vile greyhound-racing industry. Its original decision followed an investigation that found the widespread use of live piglets, possums, and rabbits to “blood” greyhounds. It also revealed that these highly social and sensitive dogs are sentenced to life in cramped cages or kennels – and that many are shot, bludgeoned to death, or simply abandoned when they’re deemed too old, injured, slow, or exhausted to continue racing profitably. It was tragic that this well-reasoned and widely supported action was overturned because of a noisy minority intent on making money from misery.

The farce was the announcement this week that the state government is giving the greyhound-racing industry $500,000 of taxpayer money. The funds are to be used for a racing prize, and the only condition is that the owner who wins it isn’t allowed to kill the winning dog. Other than that, it’s dirty business as usual.

The news comes just weeks after a mass grave containing the bodies of nine dead greyhounds was uncovered on a greyhound trainer’s property in Western Sydney, where another 12 dogs were found sick and starving.

It’s estimated that some 18,000 greyhounds – including 8,000 puppies – are killed every year in Australia – simply because they aren’t fast enough to win races.

The decision to throw public funds at this cruel industry plumbs new depths of senselessness.

The government should be using that money to help ban greyhound racing, not prop it up with prizes so the cycle of abuse can continue.