Greyhound inquiry: Between 13,000 to 17,000 dogs killed every year

GREYHOUND racing in Australia is facing calls for it to be shut down ­following “appalling” revelations that up to 17,000 healthy greyhounds are killed every year.

• Document tendered at greyhound inquiry found up to 17,000 dogs killed every year

• Four out of 100 greyhounds live to 42 months

• Counsel assisting the commission said a permanent ban on greyhound racing may be needed

• Industry is already under black cloud due to live baiting scandal

GREYHOUND racing in Australia is facing calls for it to be shut down ­following “appalling” revelations that up to 17,000 healthy greyhounds are killed every year and that the sport’s governing bodies covered up their knowledge of live baiting.

It comes as two renowned NSW trainers — Wayne Smith and Adam Wallace — told a Special Commission of Inquiry into greyhound racing in NSW they regularly used live- baiting to blood their greyhounds at three properties in Western Sydney. Both claimed such practices were used by 90 per cent of trainers.

The startling number of deaths — 94 per cent of all greyhounds born every year — was revealed in a letter penned by Greyhounds Australasia in April 2015; figures which its own board deemed “indefensible” and “a disturbing reality’’.

The “strictly confidential” letter was shown to the commission, which began in Sydney yesterday, and whose counsel assisting, Stephen Rushton, flagged his intention to ­recommend that the entire industry be shut down.

“This industry is responsible for the unnecessary deaths of anywhere between 13,000-17,000 healthy greyhounds a year,’’ Mr Rushton said.

“These figures are a terrible indictment of the industry. Even at this critical point, a point where the sport may no longer exist, there remains real industry resistance to any form of breeding restriction.’’

Reading back the figures, the commissioner and former High Court judge Michael McHugh said: “It ­really is appalling.’’

In his opening address to the commission, Mr Rushton also accused Greyhound Racing NSW, the governing body in this state, of keeping the widespread practice of live baiting — where live animals are strung up, chased and killed by greyhounds — a secret from the public.

OVERBREEDING LEADS TO SURPLUS GREYHOUND BEING DESTROYED

FOUR CORNERS REVEALS LIVE BAITING USED TO BLOOD GREYHOUNDS

A trainer uses a live bait to blood a greyhound. Picture: ABC

In his submission to the commission, former GRNSW chairman Percy Allan claimed in his time at the helm of the industry body, “there was never a rumour, let alone an allegation of live baiting that came to my attention”.

But that claim was brought into question when Mr Rushton showed the commission a 2009 GRNSW internal report entitled Project Welfare which called for submissions and ideas from within the industry to address welfare issues, including live baiting and arm trials (where dogs chase live rabbits around the track).

While the report identified 11 critical welfare issues, only seven were publicly declared in the body’s annual report in the following years, the ­notable omissions being live baiting, arm trials and the reporting of injuries.

“The failure to disclose (live ­baiting) … was perhaps unsurprising,’’ Mr Rushton said, given “the wider community might have a simple message to government … just shut the joint down’’.

“Why not just stamp out the live baiting conduct so that there will never be a problem with community perceptions?

“I anticipate ... that the answer will be that live baiting was so entrenched in the industry that to get rid of the proponents of it might not have left too many people standing.’’

’

The Greyhound industry has been accused of keeping the widespread practice of live baiting and the mass slaughter of young dogs, secret from the public.

The claim was later backed up by trainer Mr Wallace, who estimated 90 per cent of trainers used live baiting as a training method.

Asked to name any trainers he knew that did not do live baiting, Mr Wallace replied: “None off the top of my head.” Mr Wallace, a greyhound trainer since 1999, told the commission he had live baited at three Western Sydney bullring properties owned by Bruce Carr, Harry Sarkis and a trainer whose name was suppressed, as late as October last year.

He said he bought the live rabbits off fellow trainer Ricky Brewer and admitted there was always a queue of trainers waiting to use Mr Carr’s Londonderry bullring.

Fellow trainer Mr Smith, a 30-year veteran, also confirmed to the commission his use of live baiting, including giving live rabbits to three-month-old greyhound pups at his home.

An inquiry into the greyhound industry found up to 17,000 greyhounds are killed every year. Picture: ABC Four Corners

At the close of his address, Mr Rushton said the weight of evidence to be presented would leave the ­commission with little choice.

“What is needed is concrete and credible measures which demonstrate that this industry can adopt, has adopted, and will maintain ­animal welfare standards which are consistent with the expectations of 21st century Australians,’’ he said.

“That may not be possible. I doubt that it is possible. If it is not then, in my submission commissioner, you would in due course recommend to government that it close the industry down.” The hearing continues today.

A greyhound attacks a rabbit which was used as live bait. Picture: ABC

AXING THE SPORT FOR GOOD IS A SAFE BET

Andrew Clennell COMMENT

SO the safest bet to lay after yesterday is to put your money on the prospect that the entire greyhound racing industry will either be shut down in NSW or reduced in size so greatly that it may as well not exist.

When the state government set up this Special Commission of Inquiry, it had the option of suspending greyhound racing for six months while the report was carried out.

It decided not to do so as the feeling was the industry would never come back from that.

But it seems as if the industry — which generates TAB turnover of $1.1 billion a year in NSW — may be doomed anyway. The Four Corners footage of live baiting was bad enough to watch but the prospect that 13,000-17,000 dogs are being killed a year just renders the sport indefensible.

Live baiting you can regulate; this form of mass killing you cannot. If the industry were to be shut, it would mimic the situation in the US, where it has been shut in the majority of states.

There would be flow-on effects for horse racing were the greyhound industry to be shut down, but it would not suffer too badly, as TAB turnover for all forms of racing comes in at $6 billion.

By establishing the Special Commission of Inquiry in the wake of the Four Corners allegations, Deputy Premier and Racing Minister Troy Grant was giving former High Court judge Michael McHugh the ability to decide whether the industry remained open or not.

This is a case of a minister, and the government, letting a commission of inquiry entirely decide its policy.

On the opening day yesterday, Counsel Assisting chose the favourite — in terms of an outcome — at almost unbackable odds.

He said he doubted it was “possible” that animal welfare standards consistent with 21st-century expectations could be adopted in the industry. And, if they could not, the Commissioner should find the industry should close down.

Then inquiry heard only four out of 100 healthy greyhounds will make it to 42 months.

DOG ACTS WERE JUST BUSINESS AS USUAL

Andrew Clennell ANALYSIS

IT wasn’t exactly what they said that was most galling.

Although that alone was extraordinary — having their dogs rip up live rabbits, tossing away bloodied carcasses into the bush, using public racetracks to live bait, cheating the system and bringing their sport into disrepute.

It was more the manner.

Emotionless, matter-of-fact and barely anything beyond a handful of words to an answer — two Sydney greyhound trainers coldly detailed the elaborate and cruel practices that, now unveiled and proven, could bring down their ­industry.

Spoken like they weren’t directly responsible, but just part of the gang.

Wayne Smith has been training greyhounds for 30 years and is an institution in Western Sydney’s extensive greyhound network. He sat there in the witness stand at the commission — bland white T-shirt and shabby jeans, ever the greyhound trainer — and produced the facts as if they were merely his day-to-day doings.

Yes, he had baited his greyhound puppies with live rabbits in his own backyard, puppies as young as three months old. Yes, he knew full well that when he dropped his dogs off at Bruce Carr’s Londonderry property, they would be participating in live baiting. Yes, he knew intimately how to string up a rabbit around its waist and dangle it the perfect distance from a hunting greyhound.

“I’m doing it because everyone else is doing it,’’ he said.

On numerous times, he and fellow trainer Adam Wallace had to be reminded they were under oath, and what they were claiming was not what they had previously told the commission in a closed hearing.

It was always worse.

And when his time in the stands was over, a cool, calm and collected Mr Wallace broke with his steely convention, bolting from the building, ran faster than one of his greyhounds chasing a poor rabbit, in a desperate bid not to be filmed or have his photo taken.