The third greyhound death of the year has sparked concerns about the number of dogs dying off the track.
Four-year-old ‘My Gal Cookie’ is the latest fatality after suffering a spinal injury during a race meet on March 21.
She was put down by vets at the track.
Queensland Director for the Coalition for the Protection of Greyhounds Annie Hendley said analysis of racing industry databases shows that at least six times more greyhounds died after being injured at Ipswich, but their deaths are not recorded in stewards’ reports.
“30 greyhounds that were injured in their last race at Ipswich in 2023 are recorded as “deceased” in the FastTrack or eTrac racing industry databases,” she said.
“Of these, 22 suffered serious leg injuries and were given 90-day stand-downs, indicating a leg fracture,” Director Hendley said.
(WARNING DISTRESSING CONTENT – Video: Coaliton of Protection of Greyhounds. Supplied.)
The death of My Gal Cookie comes as Racing Queensland and Queensland Racing Integrity Commission (QRIC) embark on a “consultation process” regarding proposed new rules on rehoming, euthanasia, and abandonment of greyhounds.
Coalition for the Protection of Greyhounds Annie Hendley said the current review of euthanasia policy is long overdue and acknowledges that far too many greyhounds have been killed for no justifiable reason.
“Racing Minister Grace Grace gave $40m to the new Purga racing complex. The new data proves that greyhound racing is a dog-killing business that doesn’t deserve a cent of taxpayer money,” she said.
This year two other greyhounds have been killed while racing at Ipswich.
They include ‘Nandinia’ who died on January 1 and ‘Fire Up Crackers’ on February 20.
