"That seems EXTRAORDINARILY HIGH": Thomas Pringle TD reacts to the number of greyhounds dying at Shelbourne Park stadium.
Speaking at a meeting of the Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine last month, Deputy Pringle (Independents 4 Change, Donegal) highlighted that in the first nine months of 2019, there were 21 injuries and four deaths at Shelbourne Park; in 2018, 41 injuries and 12 deaths; and in 2017, 21 injuries and ten deaths.
“To me, who does not know a pile about the matter, that seems extraordinarily high,” he stated. “I find [the figures] very worrying.”
Shelbourne Park is one of the worst tracks in Ireland for greyhound injuries and deaths. At least 167 greyhounds suffered injuries there and 39 were killed by a track vet over the past five years alone, sickening Irish Greyhound Board statistics show. Among the victims were a greyhound who died after suffering a “suspected heart attack” on 17th August 2019 and another carried away bleeding with a leg bone “popped out”.
Speaking at the meeting, the Irish Greyhound Board’s “veterinary director”
outlined that “an injury can be anything from a cut pad on the foot to a laceration on a leg, to a fractured hock or a fractured limb”, adding, “where they were severe injuries, a decision was taken by the veterinarian, in conjunction with the owner, to put the greyhound to sleep.”
Asked by Deputy Pringle if the high number of deaths is acceptable, IGB CEO, Gerard Dollard responded: “Any animal that races at the speed of greyhounds is going to be susceptible to injury...It’s inevitable if you have a four night a week racing schedule with 10 or 12 races a night, there is a risk of injury.”
Read a full transcript of the meeting at
https://www.oireachtas.ie/ga/debates/debate/joint_committee_on_agriculture_food_and_the_marine/2019-11-12/2/
REPORTED GREYHOUND INJURIES AND DEATHS AT IRISH TRACKS
2019: (Jan to Sept): 254 injuries. 86 deaths
2018: 353 Injuries. 121 Deaths
2017: 357 Injuries. 124 Deaths
2016: 427 Injuries. 139 Deaths
2015: 422 Injuries. 122 Deaths
REPORTED INJURIES AND DEATHS AT SHELBOURNE PARK
2019 (January to September):
21 injuries, 4 deaths (including a greyhound who died of “suspected heart attack)
2018: 41 injuries, 12 deaths
2017: 21 injuries, 10 deaths
2016: 51 injuries, 7 deaths
2015: 33 injuries, 7 deaths
ACTION ALERT
Say NO to the cruel greyhound industry - don't attend greyhound races or fundraisers/hen parties/Christmas office parties held at greyhound tracks
STOP THE STATE FUNDING FOR GREYHOUND RACING
Another €16.8 million of scarce public funds has been approved for greyhound racing for 2020. Contact Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe now and demand an end to state funding to greyhound racing.
An Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar
Government Buildings,
Upper Merrion St, Dublin 2
Telephone: +353 (0)1-6194020
Email: taoiseach@taoiseach.gov.ie; leo.varadkar@oireachtas.ie; finegael@finegael.ie
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Paschal Donohoe TD
Minister for Finance
Email: paschal.donohoe@oireachtas.ie; minister@per.gov.ie
Phone: +353 (0)1 6045810
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Irish Government: Stop Giving Millions of Euro to Cruel Greyhound Industry
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