A billboard highlighting the fact that “Greyhound Racing Kills” has been vandalised in Enniscorthy. It is believed to have been targeted on Monday night when vandals threw white paint over the words “They Didn’t Have to Die”.
The Alliance For Animal Rights (AFAR) billboard, which has been on prominent display on the Dublin Road in Enniscorthy for the past two weeks, also carries the message “end this state funded suffering” - a reference to the massive government grants that are keeping cruel, dog-killing greyhound racing afloat.
Since 2001, greyhound racing has received more than a quarter of a billion euros of taxpayers’ money, including €19.2 million for 2021. There are growing calls on the government to respect the wishes of the two-thirds majority who want the funding scrapped.
Wexford People has reported on the damage to the billboard and quoted AFAR spokesperson Bernie Wright as saying: “We are not really shocked that this has happened. We won’t give up. We are going to keep demonstrating and raising public awareness. I rescued greyhounds for 30 years and I know how these animals are treated. They are raced purely for money.”
"We want to make people aware of the deaths and injuries in this injustice called a sport. I’m determined to see an end to it. The battle continues to save innocent greyhounds killed in their thousands annually,” she added.
Among the many victims of greyhound racing are dogs who suffer and die at Enniscorthy track.
119 greyhounds have suffered injuries there and 28 died or were killed by a track vet over the past seven years alone, sickening Greyhound Racing Ireland statistics show. At tracks around Ireland in the same period, 2,315 greyhounds were injured and 788 died.
Many more are mercilessly killed behind the scenes. As revealed in RTE’s award-winning "Greyhounds running for their lives" documentary, around 6,000 greyhounds are “put down” every year in Ireland simply because they are not fast enough to win races.
The documentary featured content from a Greyhound Racing Ireland-commissioned report which estimated, for example, that a total of 17,962 greyhounds were culled in 2013, 2014 and 2015. They were killed for “failure to produce qualifying times”, “failure to produce desired entry level times” and for an “unacceptable decline in performance”.
Find out more about injuries and deaths at tracks around Ireland at
https://banbloodsports.wordpress.com/2019/03/27/greyhound-injuries-and-deaths-at-irish-greyhound-tracks/
Read the Wexford People report at
https://www.independent.ie/regionals/wexford/news/we-wont-give-up-says-animal-rights-group-after-enniscorthy-billboard-vandalised-40850001.html
ACTION ALERT
STOP THE STATE FUNDING FOR GREYHOUND RACING
Another €19.2 million of scarce public funds has been granted to greyhound racing for 2021. Since 2001, greyhound racing has received more than a quarter of a billion euros of taxpayers' money. Please contact your local TDs and demand that they act to stop the 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: micheal.martin@oireachtas.ie; info@fiannafail.ie
Phone: 021-432 0088
Leinster House: 01–618 3000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michealmartintd/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/@MichealMartinTD
Leo Varadkar TD
Leader, Fine Gael
Telephone: 01-619 4020
Email: leo.varadkar@oireachtas.ie; finegael@finegael.ie
Tweet to: http://www.twitter.com/@LeoVaradkar
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LeoVaradkar
Eamon Ryan TD
Leader, Green Party
Tel: 01 618 3894
Email: eamon.ryan@oireachtas.ie
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EamonRyanGP/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/EamonRyan
Mary Lou McDonald TD
Leader, Sinn Fein
Tel: (01) 727 7102
Email: marylou.mcdonald@oireachtas.ie
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MaryLouMcDonald
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/MaryLouMcDonaldTD
Alan Kelly TD
Leader, Labour Party
Tel: 067 34190
Email: alan.kelly@oir.ie
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alankellytd/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/alankellylabour
Please sign and share petitions
Tell Gain Pet Nutrition to Stop Sponsoring Greyhound Racing
https://www.change.org/p/jimtracy-glanbia-ie-tell-gain-pet-nutrition-to-stop-sponsoring-greyhound-racing
Stop supporting the cruel greyhound “industry”
https://www.change.org/p/stop-supporting-the-cruel-greyhound-industry
GAA: Stop club fundraisers at greyhound tracks
https://www.change.org/p/gaa-stop-club-fundraisers-at-greyhound-tracks
Watch RTE’s award-winning "Greyhounds Running For Their Lives" documentary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYTb2qBjlMM