Greyhound racing in the spotlight after two deaths in the space of four days at Gunnedah track

At last Wednesday's meeting Only Cecil had to be humanely euthanased by the on-track veterinarian on welfare grounds after [according to the stewards report] going amiss "running through the catching pen" and sustaining a compound fracture of the off side hock.

At the following meeting on Saturday night, Glenreagh Skud was humanely euthanased by the on-track veterinarian after he suffered a neck fracture when he turned around in the catching pen, and collided with a number of other greyhounds as they entered the catching pen area and fell heavily.

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A spokesperson for the GWIC said pre-race inspections of the track by their stewards prior to both meetings identified no concerns.

The deaths, the first catastrophe injuries [leading to death or euthanasia] at the track for more than two years, have prompted The Coalition for the Protection of Greyhounds (CPG) to renew calls for change.

"The only way to stop the suffering of these beautiful dogs is to ban greyhound racing. Until that happens, the industry should act on what its own research recommended in 2017, that six-dog races and straight tracks are safer alternatives," CPG national president Dennis Anderson said.

The latter is something the industry is looking at with a new straight track currently under development in Richmond.

The CPG said the deaths continue "a deadly trend that has seen NSW record a rise in greyhound deaths this year".

They cite that 21 greyhounds have now died on NSW racetracks between January 1 and March 28, up from 15 for the same period last year, and signifying a 40 per cent increase.

The GWIC rebutted, that while the quarter one injury report for 2021 is yet to be finalised, the latest injury report "shows a slight decrease in catastrophic injuries" (from 0.7/1000 starts to 0.6/1000) and a "significant decrease in the total injury rate" (26.9/1000, down from 34.2/1000) in comparison to the same period the previous year.

"Though these results are encouraging GWIC is committed to ensuring that this downward trend continues, to make greyhound racing in NSW as safe as it can be for our greyhound athletes," they added.

Of particular concern for the CPG is the number of deaths that resulted from incidents in the catching pens. Of the 45 nationwide so far this year, nine were fatally injured in catching pen incidents, they say.

In response to that the (GWIC) said it is working with Greyhound Racing NSW 'to review the behaviour of greyhounds in the catching pen and determine the best possible design parameters for the safety and welfare of greyhounds'.

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