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PLEASE SEE THIS NEWSLETTER ABOUT 'PROBLEM' ANIMAL CONTROL files/Landmark Foundation Newsletter.doc WE ARE DESPERATE for new or old large towels / bath sheets, cat baskets and funding to continue our work. GREYHOUND RACING  Capetonians against Animal Abuse would like to add their voice to the growing number of people who do not wish greyhound racing to be legalized. According to many informal poll taken over the last weeks, it has been made quite clear that it is a small minority of people who are in favour of the legalization of this industry and with good reason.
Dramatic increases in the breeding of racing dogs, the control and monitoring of which is of concern, will result in a surplus of thousands unwanted dogs in an already over populated dog market in SA. To deny that this will happen here in South Africa, a developing country, when this abuse is rife in countries where dog racing has been legal for over 80 years, is to be naïve.
The surplus dogs will aggravate the lack of suitable homes for dog adoptions and impact directly on more dogs not being able to find homes with the resultant dilemma of how to dispose of unwanted dogs and will impact seriously on animal welfare organizations who are already struggling financially.
Dog racing can result in multiple and unnecessary injuries to dogs both on the track and out of the public eye without proper veterinary treatment and care, which is of huge concern. In many countries where dog racing is legal, the industry regulates itself and certainly this is shown to be a failure as this self-regulation has failed to achieve adequate welfare standards and controls. Racing greyhounds may be drugged to hide these injuries, and drug tests in England show that 3% of the samples taken were positive for drugs. Drugs that have been found in use are amphetamines, cocaine, anabolics, angel dust and dexidrine. Human athletes can decide whether or not to run with injuries and to take drugs, greyhounds can’t.
Considering that successful greyhounds have an average racing lifespan of 4 years, barring injuries and one greyhound bitch can have 2 litters a year with up to 12 pups per litter, it is now wonder that in those countries where greyhound racing is legal, 50% of greyhounds are “disposed of”.
Greyhounds are often trained to race, to follow the mechanical or rag hare, using live animals like rabbits, hares and cats. In America an estimated 100,000 live animals are torn apart and killed each year in training greyhounds to race.
Racing greyhounds spend most of their lives caged up. The permanent cage size set down previously by the NGRB (SA) is 2.3m x 1m. The dogs often become aggressive and frustrated, generally not toward people but to other animals and have to wear wire muzzles to prevent them biting.
We firmly believe that legalised dog racing will worsen, not improve, the growing hunting and poaching problem in SA including the increase in informal and difficult to monitor non-registered racing.
Further to these concerns are added that gambling in South Africa has already caused immense hardship for many families around the country and to add another legalized outlet for people to gamble their salaries away is unacceptable.
We also dispute the facts that the legalization of greyhound racing would give employment to over 30 000 people. According to our calculations, based on overseas statistics, this would mean that over 300 stadiums would have to be built. We already have bookmakers for the horse racing so there will be no opportunities there. Staff needed for stadiums and training are minimal, so unless this industry intends to be much bigger than proposed, these figures are a hype and we would like to see substantial proof of how they were calculated.
Please watch these awareness videos for the plight of the racing greyhound in the UK http://greytexploitations.com/awareness-videos The DTI is holding public consultations so that members of the public and interested groupings can submit their input. The process is neither confrontational nor a debate, and all that citizens are required to do is give their name, state whether or not they support greyhound racing, and why.
The reason does not matter, what matters is that you have a reason for being for or against greyhound racing.
It is time for all animal lovers to stand up and be counted by saying NO.
MEAT FREE MONDAYS This is a Capetonians Against Animal Abuse initiative, that focusses on the fact that while we already switch off lights, drive less (or smaller cars) and recycle, the easiest way to reduce green gas emissions is to simply cut down or eliminate our meat consumption. If every South African had one (extra) meat free day a week for a year, it would be the equivalent of taking close to one million cars off the road for a year. 18% of climate change is produced by factory farming methods, plus the clearing of the Amazon forest to feed the animals we eat.
10 kg’s of soy and grain gives us ONE kg of meat. Half of the grain produced world wide doesn’t go to humans, it goes to feeding animals in the production of meat. See the Meat Free Mondays page for more information.
WE SAY NO TO ANIMALS IN CIRCUSES The fact is, animals do not naturally ride bicycles, stand on their heads, balance on balls, or jump through rings of fire. To force them to perform these confusing and physically uncomfortable tricks, trainers often use whips, tight collars, muzzles, electric prods, bullhooks, and other painful tools of the trade. There is no place for institutionalised cruelty and no matter how much 'positive re-inforcement' is supposedly used to train the animals, the point is that we do not do need to force animals to perform tricks to amuse us - this is a medieval mindset to foster the notion that we are superior. This circus has already been run out of Noordhoek in Cape Town precisely because they have animal acts. Please do not allow Paarl to condone and perpetuate animal abuse.
We applaud trapeze artists, jugglers, clowns, tightrope walkers, and acrobats, but let’s leave the animals in peace. |
