66 Tracks
The Australian greyhound racing industry consists of eight different state and territory governing bodies.1 These bodies are responsible for regulating the greyhound racing activities at the clubs in their areas. There are 67 racing clubs in the country that race at 66 different greyhound tracks.2 Representatives from each of the state and territory bodies make up Greyhounds Australasia, the national supporting body for greyhound racing in Australia and New Zealand. In 2015, a total of 40,978 greyhound races were held throughout Australia.3
Five greyhounds die per week racing in Australia. (End Greyhound Cruelty)
A caged racing greyhound at an Australian kennel. (Special Commission of Inquiry into the Greyhound Racing Industry in NSW, Australia)
Puppies on a greyhound breeding farm in Australia. (Greyhound-Data)
Greyhounds buried in a mass grave at Keinbah Trial Track. (Clive Steirn)
Protesters against greyhound racing in Australia. (Coast to Coast Animal Friends)
A majority of the greyhounds racing in Australia were bred in the country. In 2015, there were 3,006 litters of greyhounds registered.4 There are 261 breeding kennels listed on greyhound-data.com, an online database maintained by dog racing gamblers.5
Each governing state and territory body has its own set of racing rules that include regulations regarding registrations for dogs, clubs and individuals, race meeting requirements and policies on doping.6 Greyhounds Australasia also has a set of regulations; however, the rules of local controlling bodies take precedence over them.7
Betting on greyhound races is legal in Australia. In the last five years, total wagering, or “turnover,” on races rose from $1.7 billion in 2012 to over $4.1 billion in 2016.8 Seventy-five percent of turnover in 2016 came from the states of Victoria and New South Wales.9
The mass slaughter of greyhounds in the greyhound industry is euphemistically called “wastage.” An internal Greyhounds Australasia report revealed that the industry is responsible for the unnecessary deaths of 13,000 to 17,000 healthy greyhounds each year.10
The “Special Commission of Inquiry into the Greyhound Racing Industry,” known as the McHugh Report, was published in 2016.11 The report found that at least 50% of greyhound puppies whelped were deliberately killed because they were incapable of being competitive racing greyhounds. The evidence also showed that 40% of greyhounds whelped never make it to the track. The Commission found that breeding needed to be drastically reduced in order for the problem of the mass slaughter of greyhounds to be solved.12
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