Death of Tasmanian champion greyhound Raider's Guide prompts renewed calls to shut down the industry
WARNING: This story contains images of an animal suffering a serious injury and may cause distress.
Raider's Guide, which had claimed a Tasmanian record of $664,975 in prize money from 79 starts, was put down after suffering a fall during Race 6 at Launceston on Monday night.
The 4-year-old stayer bumped into another greyhound on the first turn of the race, forcing it to tumble and the race to be abandoned.
According to the stewards' report, Raider's Guide was then taken to a veterinary clinic, and a post-race examination revealed it had suffered cervical spinal injuries which eventually proved to be fatal.
TasRacing confirmed that Raider's Guide was euthanased as a result of its injuries.
It is the second Tasmanian greyhound racing death this year, and the first at Launceston.
Animal welfare advocates believe the death of Raider's Guide further justifies their position that government subsidy for the greyhound racing industry in Tasmania should end.
"Grotesque track deaths are just the tip of a huge injury iceberg. There are thousands of greyhound track injuries in Australia every year according to the industry's own stewards' reports."
Tasmanian Dog Walking Clubs is one of 11 community groups campaigning for an end to taxpayer-funded greyhound racing in Tasmania by 2029.
"The RSPCA and every other significant animal welfare group in Tasmania agree dog racing is unavoidably cruel," Ms Fraser said
TasRacing chief executive Andrew Jenkins paid tribute to the greyhound.
"He will leave a legacy on Tasmanian and Australian greyhound racing for many years to come."
In a statement, TasRacing said there had been a steady downward trend in greyhound "racing-related mortality", and that mortality had reduced by a factor of 7.5 since the 2016-17 financial year.
In 2016-17, 15 greyhounds died from 12,724 starters, representing 1.18 greyhounds per 1,000 starters.
The number of deaths peaked in 2018-19 when there were 18 deaths from 12,642 starters, but has reduced to 2 deaths from 11,927 starters or 0.17 per 1,000 so far this year.
Raider's Guide was trained by Mangalore hall-of-famer Gary Fahey and was crowned Tasmania's Greyhound of the Year last year.
In May, it became the first Tasmanian greyhound to win three Group 1 races when it won the Sandown Cup at Sandown Park in Victoria.
But the death of Raider's Guide has emboldened calls for Tasmania to follow other jurisdictions in shutting down its greyhound racing industry.
Last year, New Zealand's government decided to end greyhound racing, citing an "unacceptably high" rate of death and injury.
It set up a committee to help manage a 20-month transition period for the industry, including the rehoming of almost 3,000 racing greyhounds.
In February, Wales followed suit, with its government announcing it would end greyhound racing "as soon as practically possible".
Greens animal rights spokesperson Cassy O'Connor said the Tasmanian greyhound racing industry was "irredeemably cruel" and should be wound up.
"It's because of the 'unacceptably high' rate of injury and death to dogs that the conservative New Zealand government committed to ending greyhound racing by the middle of next year," Ms O'Connor said.
A report by independent economist Saul Eslake, commissioned by the 11 community groups campaigning for an end to taxpayer-funded greyhound racing, found state-owned Tasracing funds greyhound racing at more than double the rate of other states and territories.
"There does not appear to be a compelling reason — beyond inertia ('it has always been thus') — why Tasmanian greyhound racing should continue to receive the generous government funding which it has long enjoyed once the current funding deed expires in mid-2029," Mr Eslake wrote.
The Tasmanian government has been contacted for comment.
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