Animal rights activists and politicians are demanding an independent inquiry into Victoria's greyhound racing industry. The calls are being prompted by new data, indicating dozens of race dogs have died beyond the race tracks, shortly after being injured this year.
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00:00 In November, racing greyhound Tommy was found wandering a street in Ballarat, emaciated
00:07 and with severe wounds.
00:08 "The front teeth are very broken. As though he's been chewing on metal or hard wood or
00:14 something, possibly trying to get out."
00:17 After $3,500 spent on vet bills, Tommy is now rehomed and a happy house pet.
00:25 But not all racing greyhounds get a happy ending. One advocacy group's investigation
00:30 has found dozens of dogs are dying away from racetracks shortly after being injured.
00:35 At least 34 Victorian dogs have died off track so far this year, compared to 18 killed mid-race.
00:41 "The cost of fixing a broken leg is far greater than the cost of euthanasia."
00:47 Victorian Racing Tribunal decisions have outlined numerous cases of animal cruelty and mistreatment
00:52 this year alone. In one case, a greyhound was left for days with a broken leg, with
00:57 a bone protruding from its skin for a full day, before being seen by a vet and later
01:02 put down. One trainer was found to have threatened to shoot their dogs if they weren't immediately
01:07 accepted for rehoming. Another injected a greyhound with an expired iron supplement.
01:12 It died the very next day.
01:15 Animal welfare advocates and Victorian MPs say evidence of cruelty is hiding in plain
01:20 sight and are demanding an independent inquiry.
01:23 "It is a dog killing machine and they do not want the public to know that. Our message
01:27 to the government is they have the opportunity right now to be proactive and show that they
01:32 care about dogs."
01:34 Racing Minister Anthony Carbines did not say whether he supports an inquiry, but he did
01:39 throw his support behind Greyhound Racing Victoria, saying he expects dog welfare to
01:43 be its paramount consideration. He said the GIV is delivering on that expectation.
01:49 A statement from Greyhound Racing Victoria argues the off-track deaths could have been
01:53 due to other factors, and that racing fatalities have declined significantly in recent years.
02:00 But advocates want to know how many dead dogs are too many for the government.
02:04 [BLANK_AUDIO]