By Rachel Clun
WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES
The RSPCA has uncovered a mass greyhound grave in western Sydney, on the property of a licensed and registered greyhound trainer.
RSPCA NSW was tipped off about the Marsden Park property on July 3, and inspectors arrived to find an open pit containing the remains of nine greyhounds, RSPCA NSW acting chief inspector Andrew Clachers said.
RSPCA seized 12 greyhounds in total, suffering from a number of conditions including emaciation and pressure sores.Credit: RSPCA NSW
"It’s confronting ... and it’s quite a gruesome task that they then had to go through, to preserve the evidence of those deceased greyhounds."
The grim discovery comes almost exactly two years after then-NSW premier Mike Baird banned greyhound racing in the state, only to reverse the ban just months later.
The dogs are now recovering with care from RSPCA vets.Credit: RSPCA NSW
Federally, the RSPCA does not support greyhound racing because of "significant and entrenched animal welfare problems inherent in the greyhound racing industry".
Mr Clachers said the main concern for local RSPCA inspectors and branches was simply the welfare of the animals.
"We will continue to advocate for improvements in greyhound welfare," he said.
During the raid, senior RSPCA NSW inspectors also seized nine sick and emaciated dogs that had "such pressing and urgent veterinary needs that they required immediate treatment," Mr Clachers said.
"Some of [the greyhounds] that we seized we had concerns as to whether they would make it, they were so ill."
Three more greyhounds were seized on July 9, after written veterinary instructions for their treatment were not followed by the owner.
The dogs were suffering from a variety of conditions, including emaciation, internal parasites, fleas, severe dental disease, pressure sores and overgrown nails.
All the greyhounds have since been surrendered to the RSPCA, and the acting chief inspector said that, now they were in the care of RSPCA veterinarians, they were "all going fine".
"I’ve gone down and seen some of them myself; they are appreciating the care and attention that they're getting," he said.
"We’ll seek to rehome them after they’ve been through an assessment process; they seem to be good-natured."
The greyhound mass grave was discovered on July 3.
A forensic veterinary pathologist has conducted an autopsy on the remains of the dead greyhounds, and Mr Clachers said more testing was under way to determine how and when the dogs died.
A spokesperson for the Greyhound Welfare Integrity Commission, which was launched as the industry regulator on July 1, said it was investigating the "serious alleged animal cruelty" alongside the RSPCA.
"Investigations are on-going and GWIC is providing the RSPCA with continued support," the spokesperson said in a statement.
"Legally no further comment can be made as investigations are ongoing."
Mr Clachers said the RSPCA had no history of complaints about the greyhound trainer from Marsden Park before this month.
The maximum penalty for aggravated animal cruelty is two-years' imprisonment and $22,000 in fines, while charges of an act of cruelty or failing to provide veterinary treatment carry maximum penalties of six months' imprisonment or $5500 in fines.
Greens NSW MP and the party's animal welfare spokeswoman, Mehreen Faruqi, said: "The images are absolutely gruesome and show the consequences of an industry that treats animals as disposable commodities, to be discarded once they stop turning a profit.
"The fact that such cruelty is happening in 2018 shows that nothing has changed.
"This incident just shows that the second chance given to the industry was a huge mistake and all the promises they made to end the cruelty lack any kind of credibility.
"This is not yet another bad apple. This is evidence of continued systemic cruelty and disregard for animal welfare," Dr Faruqi said.
"Barely a week goes by without continued deaths on tracks, drugging and animals being put down for entirely treatable injuries. The reality is that animals always suffer when they are used and abused for gambling."
In a statement, PETA Australia spokeswoman Emma Hurst said this recent RSPCA investigation showed "the battle against the abuse of animals for entertainment and financial gain continues".
"When the New South Wales government backflipped on the greyhound racing ban, we all knew that thousands of dogs would continue to suffer in this abusive and unjustifiable industry in which cruelty – including the mass slaughter of healthy dogs – is a business model for 'success'," Ms Hurst said.
She said the industry had already had "plenty of opportunities" to reform itself.
"The majority of Australians abhor the inherent brutality of greyhound racing," she said.
"PETA urges everyone to stay away from the tracks."