Two greyhounds suffered “catastrophic injuries” at Shelbourne Park earlier this month, it has emerged.
Details came to light in an email sent from the Greyhound Breeders Federation to Greyhound Racing Ireland.
“It is our understanding that the two dogs Knockboy Flight and Newinn Sessions suffered catastrophic injuries in solo trials on consecutive nights in Shelbourne Park,” the message dated 13 August 2021 states. “Have GRI investigated the incidents? What are the findings of the investigations?”
In response, Greyhound Racing Ireland said it is “fully aware of both and have examined the circumstances related to both injuries”.
“No issues arise from an RCÉ [Greyhound Racing Ireland] perspective,” it added.
The GRI website shows that the “Knockboy Flight” and “Newinn Sessions” trials took place on 6th and 7th August 2021 respectively. The nature of their injuries is currently unknown.
They are the latest victims at Shelbourne Park - one of the worst tracks in Ireland for injuries and deaths. At least 217 greyhounds suffered injuries there and 54 died or were killed by a track vet over the past seven years alone, sickening Greyhound Racing Ireland statistics show. Among the victims are a greyhound who collapsed and died in December 2020 after suffering a “haemorrhage into the abdomen from a rupture of the aorta”, a greyhound who died of a heart attack after a race and another who was carried away bleeding with a leg bone “popped out”.
In the same seven year period, at tracks around Ireland, at least 2,315 greyhounds suffered injuries and 788 died or were killed.
Many more are also killed behind the scenes because they don’t make the grade. As revealed in RTE’s award-winning "Greyhounds running for their lives", around 6,000 greyhounds are killed every year simply because they are not fast enough to win. The documentary included horrifying scenes of greyhounds being delivered to a knackery where they were shot in the head and dumped into a skip. One shot dog was seen writhing on the ground as his merciless owner drove away https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYTb2qBjlMM
ACTION ALERT
STOP THE STATE FUNDING FOR GREYHOUND RACING
Since 2001, Greyhound Racing Ireland (formerly the Irish Greyhound Board) has been granted more than a QUARTER OF A BILLION EUROS, including €16.8 million for 2020 and another €19.2 million for 2021. This is unacceptable and must be stopped.
Please contact your local TDs and urge them to oppose this funding. Visit the Oireachtas website for contact details for TDs https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/members/tds/?term=/ie/oireachtas/house/dail/33
Urge the leaders of Fianna Fail, Fine Gael, the Green Party, Sinn Fein and Labour to stop the funding and back a ban on cruel greyhound racing
Micheál Martin TD
Leader, Fianna Fail
Email: taoiseach@taoiseach.gov.ie; micheal.martin@oireachtas.ie; info@fiannafail.ie
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Leo Varadkar TD
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Eamon Ryan TD
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Mary Lou McDonald TD
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Alan Kelly TD
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