Over the last few years, Animal Liberation investigators have witnessed one of the cruelest animal abusing ‘sports’ in Australia: wild goat racing.
Frightened goats are captured, auctioned, harassed and distressed, dragged across a raceway and harnessed to a cart. Children as young as 4 years old are encouraged to be ‘jockeys’ and sometimes heavy adults ride the goats creating a large weight disparity for the animal. The goats and riders are released, and chaos occurs.
Children are thrown off carts while frightened goats collapse onto the ground. Goats crash head first into fences, some goats bleed, some goats knocking themselves unconscious, while children lay on the ground in a foetal position attempting to tend to their injuries.
Roma goat races in QLD ran only two races last year as sponsors had threatened to pull out if the goat races continued. However, this year the goat races are back on and sponsors are still supporting the event.