The government of Aotearoa has announced it will phase out greyhound racing over the next 20 months because of an “unacceptably high” rate of dog injuries. According to local media reports, 232 racing greyhounds died and 900 suffered injuries in 2021. There are 2,900 racing greyhounds in the country that would need to be rehomed.
On 24th May 2024, a greyhound named Rapido Scud died in a race at Hatrick Raceway, in Whanganui, Aotearoa, after collapsing at the lure. This incident prompted animal protection organisations to renew their call for a nationwide greyhound racing ban.
On 10th December 2024, Winston Peters, New Zealand Racing Minister and deputy prime minister said in a statement, “Despite significant progress made by the greyhound racing industry in recent years, the percentage of dogs being injured remains persistently high and the time has come to make a call in the best interest of the animals…This is not a decision that is taken lightly but is ultimately driven by protecting the welfare of racing dogs.” He said that further legislation will be tabled to enable the end to greyhound racing.
The industry was placed “on notice” by the government in September 2023. Still, the deaths and injuries continued to a level the government considered unacceptable (but any injury or death is morally unacceptable, so greyhound racing should have been banned a long time ago, not only in Aotearoa but anywhere else). Animal rights group Safe logged more than 2,500 injuries and nearly 30 deaths in the two-and-a-half years that followed.
Other countries should also phase out this industry. In June this year, the Greens party in Tasmania, Australia, said that 27 greyhounds that raced on a Tasmanian track last season have died, 24 of which had different guardians, while 22 had been passed from one trainer to another. One of the deceased dogs had been sent through the Greyhound Adoption Program (GAP).
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