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The Rose of Tralee festival is continuing to promote greyhound racing despite all the revelations about cruelty and killing.
On the festival website, a visit to Tralee greyhound track is presented as “a night out with a difference”.
The Rose of Tralee is claiming that the gambling venue where dogs suffer and die is “family friendly”.
“Family friendly tickets available, along with a family friendly atmosphere is a recipe for success,” the website states.
Greyhound racing is certainly not family-friendly. Witnessing dogs falling and crying out in agony when they suffer broken legs or necks and being carried away, often to be killed, is not something most families would wish to experience.
This has not stopped Greyhound Racing from attempting to lure youngsters in with school and sports club fundraisers, offers of toy vouchers, free meals and colouring competitions. In a 5-year strategic plan, Greyhound Racing Ireland stressed the importance of "encouragement of the younger generation as spectators and regular attendees at greyhound race meetings".
Tralee greyhound track is a hellhole for dogs. 182 greyhounds have suffered injuries there and 77 died or were killed by a track vet over the past eight years alone, sickening Greyhound Racing Ireland statistics show. This includes 23 greyhounds injured and 13 killed at Tralee track in 2021. The greyhounds killed by a track vet had suffered injured hocks (8), legs (3), shoulder/back/neck (1) and wrist (1). Two of them, with hock injuries, were killed at the same race meeting on 27 February 2021.
At races around Ireland since 2014, at least 2,881 greyhounds suffered injuries and 983 died or were killed.
The track figures represent only the tip of the iceberg. As revealed in the award-winning “RTE Investigates: Greyhounds running for their lives” documentary, thousands of greyhounds are killed every year simply because they are not fast enough. It featured shocking scenes of dogs being delivered to a knackery where they were shot in the head and dumped in a skip. One shot dog was seen writhing on the ground in agony as his merciless owner drove away. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYTb2qBjlMM
A damning report which Greyhound Racing Ireland attempted to hide, revealed that around 6,000 greyhounds are killed every year because they don’t make the grade. The report estimated that, for example, 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”.
ACTION ALERT
Contact the Rose of Tralee festival committee and urge them to show compassion and stop promoting greyhound racing.
Tel: +353 (0)66 712 1322
Email: info@roseoftralee.ie
Comment on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/roseoftraleefestival
Tweet to @RoseofTralee_