Friday 4 July 2014

IGB Saturday Night Injuries(part one) January - March



'Collisions and injuries....a feature of the sport'
Bord na gCon/Irish Greyhound Board - Febraury 2014
(In a statement on the revamp of the first bend at Limerick Greyhound Stadium.
Concerns were raised in February 2011.)
This is contrary to the Bord na gCon Welfare Manager, Barry Coleman.

In February 2014, Barry Coleman replied to pressed enquiries of concern about the well-being of Greyhounds: Inslips Fizz and Airforce Rebel, highlighted by IGS in January 2014. Barry Coleman replied with a general PR welfare letter, stating that Inslips Fizz was euthanised by the track(Clonmel)veterinary surgeon after being 'injured...through a freak incident, which is quite rare in Greyhound racing' . Airforce Rebel after taking 'a tumble....was found to be completely sound and healthy afterwards'.
Surviving the high-speed 'tumble',  Airforce Rebel was exported to England where he now continues to have his life risked.

Throughout 2014, IGS has been recording Greyhounds who suffer through racing on each IGB Saturday race night throughout Ireland: The IGB's Saturday nights 'at the dogs' 2014.

IGS records Greyhounds(from race results)who had been knocked over, or fell, stumbled, 
finished lame, struck rails, bumped, or faded, never showed, baulked, or did not finish - 
and/or not given a recorded finishing time, and/or race comments.

For January to March 144 Greyhounds were recorded as a concern.

Of those 144 Greyhounds:
  • 36 never raced again after suffering on the Saturday night recorded
  • 4 continued to race but have not raced since February
  • 7 continued to race but have not raced since March
Of the remaining 97 Greyhounds:
  • 24 continued to race but have not raced since April
  • 16 raced into May
  • 50 have continued racing into June
  • 7 were exported/sold to continue being used for racing in England.
From the 144 Greyhounds recorded as a concern 47 have not been heard 
of again, in racing, since March 2014.
 Concerns remain over at least a further 24 Greyhounds.

Remember that these worrying results are taken from just Saturday race nightsThe tracks raising the most concern from these findings were Mullingar and Lifford.

In these findings, of just the first quarter of 2014, it, sadly, is indeed the case that the Bord na gCon are correct in saying that 'Collisions and injuries....a feature of the sport', and that the Bord na gCon Welfare Manager is incorrect in saying injuries are 'rare in Greyhound racing'. 
Maybe such contrary statements from the Bord na gCon are to be expected given that there has been on-going certain matters of concern and even their own Regulations continue to be breached.



Please adopt a Greyhound
Don't bet on one.