GREYHOUNDS
Create a free account to read this article
or signup to continue reading
Wayne Billett has a simple message for those outside the greyhound community – don’t tar everyone with the same brush.
The Richmond Greyhound Club general manager said he was appalled by the shocking footage of piglets, possums and rabbits being used as live bait to train greyhounds aired during the ABC’s Four Corners program on February 16.
The damning investigative report implicated a number of trainers across Australia with Londonderry’s Zeke Kadir and Box Hill’s John Cauchi [not the John Cauchi who runs All Stock Feeds at 13 Edwards Road, Box Hill] among the trainers initially stood down.
Bruce Carr was stood down in a separate investigation after four live rabbits were found during an inspection of his Londonderry property by GRNSW and the RSPCA NSW on February 13.
Another Londonderry trainer, inaugural NSW Trainer of the Year in 2008 Majella Ferguson, was stood down last Thursday.
The sport has already felt the backlash from the live baiting scandal with one of the industry’s biggest sponsors, Macro Meats Gourmet Game, withdrawing its support.
The entire Greyhound Racing NSW board and chief executive Brent Hogan stood down from their positions last Wednesday night.
The NSW Greyhound of the Year awards set down for The Star were also postponed.
Billett said he was disgusted by what he saw in the television program but stressed that he did not believe live baiting was widespread in the industry.
“Obviously one is too many but it is a very small minority of people,” he said.
“They’ve brought the game into disrepute and done a lot of damage to the other 99.9 per cent of people who do the right thing.
“It was a bit of a shock that it has hit so close to home.
“It’s quite unfair to tar everyone with the same brush. Greyhound people traditionally just love their animals and it’s fair to say they treat them better than they treat themselves a lot of the time.
“What happened wasn’t a true representation of what the industry is and what it stands for.”
Live baiting is illegal under the greyhound racing rules as well as the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act.
Anyone found guilty of the offence can face up to five years jail and a $22,000 fine.
Londonderry trainer Alan Proctor, who trains dogs with his wife Christine and has more than 45 years experience in the industry, said the actions featured in the program were the worst he had ever seen.
“There is nothing good to come out of this, the only thing is that you’ll never see anything like it again,” he said.
“With vision like that, the industry will become squeaky clean.
“What you saw was terrible, just terrible.”
Proctor said calls to ban greyhound racing were insane.
“The animals like to race,” he said.
“They love to run, they’re a beautiful animal. They couldn’t make a better pet.
“It’s a great sport, my kids grew up with it going to the races every Saturday, it’s a great family sport.
Kings Langley trainer Adam Wade described the footage as horrific but said he did not think the barbaric practice was widespread.
“They’ve caught some people and may catch others,” he said.
“It goes back to the old days of how they used to train greyhounds but times change and people change and it is completely unacceptable now.”
Greyhound Racing NSW said in a statement that Justice Michael McHugh would be joined by the CEO of RSCPA NSW Steve Coleman, a NSW Police representative and the Chair of the Greyhound Racing Industry Consultation Group Ron Arnold on a review panel into the incidents of live baiting as well as the supervision and regulation of trial tracks and training facilities.
