|
International News Fall 2003 Undercover Operation Follows
Irish Hounds to Spain A joint report of the operation prepared by both animal protection groups titled "Greyhound Hell: Joint Surveillance Operation Highlights Appalling Conditions," was released to the press July 21. The operation began at the auction site in Cork where an ISPCA team videotaped the loading of the greyhounds into the transport vehicle. According to the report, the racing dogs were loaded into a lorry that held 20 cages, 16 of which measured 90 centimeters deep (35 inches) by 74 centimeters wide (29 inches) by 70 centimeters high (27 inches), with two dogs in each cage. The dogs could not stand to their full height and only one dog could sit down at a time. Four smaller cages each held a single dog. A heavy tarpaulin covering the sides of the lorry kept the dogs from public view; it also restricted air circulation. After a three and a half hour drive from Cork to Rosslare on the southeast coast of Ireland, the lorry boarded the Normandy, a passenger and freight-carrying vessel operated by Irish Ferries, for the 18-hour Celtic Sea crossing to the French port of Roscoff. Officers from the RSPCA's Special Operations Unit drove from England to Roscoff via the tunnel under the English Channel. After the lorry debarked at Roscoff, the special operations unit, now driving a rented French vehicle to avoid suspicion, followed and videotaped the last leg of the lorry's journey, a 13 and a half hour drive to the Santa Coloma kennels located 5 kilometers (3 miles) northeast of Barcelona. The lorry drivers stopped numerous times to check the oil, but only watered the dogs once; the double-caged dogs shared a small bowl. None of the dogs were fed during the 38-hour ordeal, even though six bags of food were later discovered in the vehicle. The 36 greyhounds remained confined in the cramped cages for the entire trip. Temperatures during the journey were in excess of 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit). Several officers of Guardia Civil (Spanish Civil Police) working in partnership with Barcelona-based Anna Clements, president of SOS Galgos and her husband, veterinarian Albert Sorde, were waiting for the dogs' arrival at Santa Coloma in the early hours of Saturday, June 28. The police officers inspected the lorry and questioned the driver, David Normile of Merseyside, England, with the help of Sorde, who acted as translator. The officers charged Normile with several violations of Spanish and European Union regulations, including the use of a vehicle not registered for the transport of animals and for failing to disinfect the vehicle prior to transporting the animals. They are also considering charging him with animal welfare violations for transporting dogs in cramped conditions without adequate food or water. In his report for the RSPCA, Sorde stated, "many of the greyhounds were panting in the truck, which would not be expected at that time of night." He attributed the panting to either anxiety or metabolic disturbances caused by the long trip in confined spaces. Sorde noted that the 36 greyhounds were all females aged between 12 and 24 months. RSPCA Special Ops Inspector John Wilkins, part of the team that followed the lorry through France and Spain, said, "The laws for transporting dogs for commercial purposes must be urgently looked at in order to address these very serious welfare concerns." Wilkins said ferry companies should be strongly urged to reassess their regulations. He recommended that dogs be classified as livestock, which would give them better conditions when traveling by sea. [Email Irish Ferries through their website www.irishferries.com - Ed.] Under Irish Ferries' current
guidelines, workers are not allowed to check on dogs transported for commercial
purposes because they are considered freight. INTERNATIONAL NEWS BRIEFS Liverpool, England: Greyhound Action (GA) reported that the Liverpool City Council June 24 denied the Greyhound Racing Association's application to build a greyhound stadium in Fazakerley. GA and local residents ran an extensive leafleting and letter-writing campaign since last October to defeat the proposed stadium. According to GA, the racing association has an "appalling record with regard to injuries to dogs on its [seven] tracks."
London, England: The League Against Cruel Sports has launched a new campaign calling for statutory regulation of greyhound racing in the Governments forthcoming Animal Welfare Bill. League president Annette Crosbie, who is spearheading the campaign, called dog racing "an industry of fat cats and dead dogs." Crosbie said the industry takes in over a billion pounds a year but has failed "to provide the resources" to end greyhound suffering. The League is proposing legislation for the welfare bill that would require licensing of greyhound breeders, registration of all puppies, and a levy of a penny per pound on bookmaking income to generate £16 million per annum to fund greyhound sanctuaries; an advertising campaign to encourage adoption; grants to upgrade tracks, kennels, and track surfaces in the interest of greyhound welfare; and micro-chipping of all registered racing or retired greyhounds. Source: Racing Post: Jim Cremin Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, England:
Coolanga Okee was killed during a race at Brough Park Aug. 22 after colliding
with a heavy steel box that protects the mechanical hare. Coolanga's trainer,
Gordon Rooks said, "It was absolutely horrendous. The vet said afterwards
that he had broken every bone in his body including his neck." |