One of many greyhound racing {industry}’s costliest efforts at legitimisation, rehoming packages for ex-racing canine, is being overwhelmed because the {industry} ramps up overbreeding, leaving volunteer non-industry rehoming providers to shoulder the burden of coping with the {industry}’s “wastage”.
A brand new report from the Coalition for Safety of Greyhounds collates knowledge from state greyhound racing our bodies to kind a nationwide image of rehoming practices — which the {industry} dramatically ramped up after the publicity of systemic cruelty by 4 Corners, and detailed unbiased experiences of industrial-scale animal abuse throughout the sector.
Trade rehoming packages — normally known as “GAPs”, both Greyhound Adoption Applications or Greyhounds As Pets — are run by volunteers (who’re enthusiastic and hard-working) and function as non-profits, however obtain hundreds of thousands of {dollars} from the {industry}. The NSW program value greater than $6 million in 2021-22 and the Victorian program practically $4.6 million. That translated into 301 canine being rehomed in NSW, at a price of $21,200 a canine. In Victoria just below 1,100 canine have been rehomed, at a price of simply over $4,000 every. In each states, these industry-funded packages have rehomed fewer canine than volunteer-run group packages, which obtain no funding and function on a stricter foundation of solely rehoming to house owners able to assembly security and welfare standards.
The identical distinction applies in Tasmania, whereas in Queensland, GAP packages and group rehoming accounted for about the identical variety of canine. Solely in South Australia and Western Australia did a GAP outperform group rehoming — if it may be believed that in South Australia 489 canine have been rehomed by means of GAP packages, when NSW might barely handle 300. Western Australia has the strongest rehoming necessities and supplies for restoration, slightly than euthanasia, for canine that break limbs whereas racing, and its GAP considerably outperforms group efforts. WA stands in dire distinction to Queensland, which has no rehoming requirement of any sort.
Whereas round 6,800 canine have been rehomed nationally in 2021-22 — together with GAP, group and direct breeder rehoming — there’s a rising disparity between rehoming and the variety of canine being bred by the {industry}. Whereas not but again to the numbers of canine being bred earlier than the abuses of the {industry} have been uncovered (which can have totalled over 17,000 canine a yr) breeding is now again to almost 10,000 a yr in keeping with {industry} registrations, not together with canine which are bred however by no means registered for racing, which regulators counsel may very well be greater than 2,000 a yr.
Overbreeding, or “wastage” because the {industry} prefers to name it, is putting vital strain on rehoming providers. The Victorian GAP is claimed by group organisations to inform breeders to take their “wastage” to a well known group rehoming service, which operates with not one of the multi-million greenback sources out there to industry-funded GAPs. With out a vital raise in rehoming efforts, the approaching surge of over 10,000 canine within the {industry} per yr won’t ever discover a life after racing. In the meantime governments proceed to prop the {industry} up with taxpayer handouts and light-touch regulation.
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