7 things to do in 7 Days to help Greyhounds Stop Being Exported to China
Click here to watch a moving video with music by Maria Daines
As we speak the Irish Greyhound Racing Board is working hard to set up a massive greyhound racing industry in China. Currently there is a racing industry in Macau with 800 dogs (which in itself is just horrid)– BUT- they want to expand all across China. It looks like Ireland will be stopped from sending their greyhounds to China. This means they are likely to come from Australia, as Australia is already regularly exporting Greyhounds to China.
Keep these things in mind:
- China has NO ANIMAL WELFARE LAWS – NONE!!!
- Dogs and cats and regularly skinned alive in China for their fur.
- 2 million per year
- They skin them alive because it is easier to remove the skin from a warm body
- Dog meat is a common dish in many parts of China.
- 30 000 dogs were beaten to death during a rabies outbreak.
- There is absolutely nothing stopping greyhounds being treated in this way.
Nothing!!!
In Australia we already kill an estimated 20 000 greyhounds a year. No other breed is killed more or suffers more than greyhounds. Puppies are killed when they don’t have a strong prey drive, adults are killed when they aren’t fast enough and many die at the track from their racing injuries. About 500 find homes as pets. The rest die. We can’t even look after our greyhounds in Australia, what hope do they have in China ?
There are a number of breeders, trainers and vets in Australia that have a strong association with the greyhound racing industry in Asia, particularly Macau. They provide training, veterinary advice and services to the greyhounds industry in countries that are desperate to expand greyhound racing. We know that hundreds of greyhounds are exported to Macau each year.
If we don’t do something about it, this well be thousands.
We want to stop greyhounds being exported to Asian countries and ALSO to draw attention to the terrible plight of greyhounds in Australia at the same time.
Bred to chase, to suffer, to die for human greed.
7 Things in 7 Days to Help Greyhounds
We have 7 things we’d like you too do.
Yes we know it is a lot.
But the animals need you for they have no voice
1. Send an email to the Federal Government.
To both the Prime Minister Julia Gillard and to the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry,
To both the Prime Minister Julia Gillard and to the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry,
The Hon Joe Ludwig
Ask that the practice of exporting racing greyhounds commercially be a banned to countries unless they have animal welfare laws equal to or better than our own. Animals that are bred in this country are Australian animals and should be protected by Australian animal welfare laws. This means we need to ban the export of greyhounds to China.
Click this link to send a message to Julia
joe.ludwig@maff.gov.au
Click this link to send a message to Julia
joe.ludwig@maff.gov.au
2. Write a letter to a least one newspaper.
Tell them we want to stop exporting greyhounds to China and other Asian countries. Tell them that the greyhound industry is set to expand in China, which means misery and death will skyrocket. Animals are still skinned alive and eaten and there is absolutely nothing to stop this happening to greyhounds.
Start with The Australian
ACT@theaustralian.com.
Here is a link with most Australia newspapers. Scroll to the bottom to get other states:
3. Write a letter to Greyhound Australasia.
Greyhound Australasia is the peak greyhound racing body in Australia. They say that they “are totally committed to the health and welfare of greyhounds” and yet they support exporting Australian greyhounds to Asian countries.Please ask them how they can be ‘totally committed’ to the health and welfare when they they facilitate and support the export of Greyhounds to Asian countries and when they cannot manage the thousands and thousands of greyhounds in Australia that are treated as wastage and simple killed when they are no longer profitable runners?
CEO, Craig Taberner - craig@galtd.org.au and admin@galtd.org.au
Phone: +61 3 9548 3500
4. Help Boycott Belmont Vet Clinic.
Belmont Vet Clinic, located in the Newcastle region in NSW specialises in greyhounds, breeding and they are export service providers. The previous owner of this clinic help started greyhound racing in Macau and Vietnam.
He made this statement at a greyhound conference in 2009;
“Asia is a large growth area for our industry. Before this decade has passed an inter-Asian series between Vietnam, Cambodia, Macau and China will be a reality as betting networks expand”.
We need to let the local people of Newcastle know what this vet clinic is like and encourage them to take their animals to vets who actually care about all animals.
Write to them and protest that they are profiting from the suffering and death of greyhounds in Australia and Asia.
Please email or phone them. Ask them how they can participate in export of greyhounds to countries with no animal welfare laws and helping breed greyhounds in an industry that treats them like wastage and kills 20 000 a year.
Please email or phone them
Belmont Veterinarian Hospital
Phone: 02 4945 9044
Fax: 02 4945 4461
Email: admin@belmontvet.com.au
Fax: 02 4945 4461
Email: admin@belmontvet.com.au
Please tell everyone you know that lives in the Newcastle are about this vet clinic.
Post on Newcastle area facebook pages.
Write to the Newcastle Herald
5. Write to Animal transport companies
These 3 companies regularly export greyhounds to Asian countries.
Ask them to introduce a policy, which means they wont export greyhounds or pets for commerce unless they have animal welfare laws equal to or better than our own.
If companies refuse to export dogs and cats to China for commercial purposes then it will be a lot harder for greyhound racing and pets industries to proliferate.
On one hand transport companies tell us how much they love animals and how well they take of them, but where is their ethical obligation to consider what is going to happen to the animals once they arrive at their destination?
One transport company that does not transport greyhounds for racing (only rehoming) or puppy farms pups are Skypet/ Adelar. Please seek out ethical companies like Skypet if you need to transport a pet. http://www.skypet.com.au/
At least contact Jetpets who export a lot of greyhounds.
Jetpets Animal Transport
Email the manager Jason - jasonbrown@jetpets.com.au
Aus Wide 1300 668 309
Tel: +61 3 9339 4300
Fax: +61 3 9335 1206
Post on their facebook page - http://www.facebook.com/#!/Jetpets
Pet Carriers International
Fax: (02) 9316 9455
Toll free 1300 788 770
Dogtainers
Email: australia@dogtainers.com.au
Phone: (07) 3859 8250
Phone: (07) 3859 8250
6. Sign These Petitions
We have 3 petitions to sign
1. To stop the export of greyhounds from Australia to China
2. To stop the Irish Greyhound Racing Board’s proposal to export and expand greyhound racing in China.
3. Petition against the skinning of dogs and cats for fur in China.
7. Read and Share this article widely
Published in the Irish Times in May 2011 this article reveals what life is like in Macau for greyhounds and looks at the misery which is their future in the rest of China.
http://www.greytexploitations.com/resources-and-reports/the-dogs-who-run-for-their-lives
Want to do more?
Copy and paste this note or parts of this note and send as an email to all your contacts. Some people haven’t discovered facebook!
Write to all MPs asking that we stop greyhounds being exported to China
Foster a greyhound or support a greyhound adoption organization.
Even better adopt a greyhound – they make wonderful pets.
Support orgnisations like Animal Saviors who are working towards animal welfare laws in China. http://animalsaviors.org/index.html
Boycott any fur products or faux fur products (pet fur is often disguised as pet fur). Insist that retailers stop selling these products.
Contact animal rights and welfare orgnisations that you belong to and share with them the article on greyhounds in Macau and this note.
Please share this note on facebook
Help change legislation in WA and ACT so pet greyhounds don’t have to wear muzzles.
For Australians that want to get active on campaigning about greyhound issues or distribute leaflets in their local area (coming soon) please contact Greyhound Action Australia at youbettheydie@hotmail.com
