Albano Martins of the animal protection group Anima stands up to Angela Leong of the Canidrome, and points out some home truths. Well done Albano, a true voice for the greyhounds! Anima is calling on the Canidrome to relinquish their ownership over the greyhounds and place them in the care of the association, while arrangements are made for the dogs’ adoption. The Canidrome has not agreed to the proposal. It says that it does not own the animals at its facility since they belong to private investors. But Martins contends that the Canidrome is the single largest owner of greyhounds at the facility, holding direct ownership of approximately 350 greyhounds from a total of at least 567. Speaking to the Macau Daily Times on Wednesday, Martins says: “The Canidrome does not allow the dogs to be removed from the compound, when the owner no longer wants the dogs, they return them to the Canidrome”. This contractual obligation means that the Canidrome management is the de facto owner of all greyhounds at the facility. As a consequence, Leong has announced a plan to establish a new animal rights association called the Macau General Association for Animal Protection, which will contact private owners concerning their greyhounds’ retirement. But Martins said that the greyhounds should not look forward to a comfy retirement in Australia or New Zealand. He suspects that Leong’s new association will be used as a front to sell the animals to other dog racing locations where they will be subject to similar or worse conditions, such as in Vietnam, Pakistan and mainland China. He said that once the dogs are “in the system,” there is no way of knowing to whom they were sold. His concern is justified, he said, on the back of another recent comment made by the lawmaker. First reported by Jornal Tribuna de Macau, Leong this week said that “greyhounds are born for races. As some people are born poor and some are born rich, greyhounds are animals [meant] to serve humans.” “How can the public trust that she will find a suitable home [for the greyhounds] when she makes comments like ‘Greyhounds are animals to be used to serve humans’?” asked Martins. “How can someone who makes these comments be trusted [to set up] an association to protect animals?” Her view is not one shared by the public,” said the animal rights activist. “What it shows is that she thinks animals are there to be exploited. […] I think it will have a big impact on her in the future [as] a lot of people think that the statement is insane.”