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International News Summer 2004 Mutilated Greyhound Left
to Die on Welsh Mountain According to GRW's news bulletin, the dog's wounds were still bleeding when he was found, indicating the injuries were fresh. The bulletin also said that the penetrating wound to the top of his head was probably caused by a nail gun or a captive bolt gun. The post-mortem found that the projectile from the gun had caused severe brain damage and shattered the dog's jaw. The dog also had bruising all over his body. GRW spokesman Alain Thomas said it was the worst case of cruelty he had come across. "Most people involved in greyhound racing are as outraged as we are and together we want to send a clear message to whoever is responsible that they are not going to get away with such appalling cruelty," Thomas said. RSPCA inspector Simon Evans said, "This is a shocking, horrific incident. The greyhound was put to sleep after experiencing unimaginable pain and distress." At a meeting held May 12, GRW, the police, the RSPCA pooled the information that had been collected by the various agencies from citizens and people involved in greyhound racing in South Wales. The police and the RSPCA questioned three people identified as key individuals involved in the dog's mutilation; an unidentified local man was arrested. "We are extremely grateful to all those who offered information," Evans said. The RSPCA is preparing to file charges against the perpetrator.
Greyhound Racetrack Owner
Elected Mayor of Tijuana Hank has been surrounded by controversy since the late 1980s. In 1988 a bodyguard at Hank's greyhound track was convicted of murdering Hector Felix Miranda, a co-founder of the local weekly newspaper Zeta, known for its crusading coverage of drug trafficking. On June 22, 2004 Zeta editorial page editor Francisco Ortiz, 47, was gunned down not long after he became involved in a government re-examination of Felix's murder. In a radio interview the following day, Baja California State Attorney General Antonio Martinez Luna was asked if the investigation would "look toward the racetrack." Martinez replied, "It's obvious and it would be logical to also analyze that line of investigation." In 1991, Hank was fined $25,000 after U.S. customs officials discovered an associate transporting a rare white tiger cub over the border from San Diego. Hank said the animal was legal, but that crossing the border with it was "a mistake." Hank owns a private zoo that houses 20,000 animals, including lions he mates with tigers. Four years later Hank was arrested
at Mexico City International Airport for allegedly trying to smuggle ivory
carvings and ocelot furs. He was cleared after arguing they were fakes. ASIA A total of 300 million Philippine pesos [US$5.3 million] will be poured into the project, Ouano said. "I am really hoping that with these developments, we will be able to give jobs to our people." The greyhound track will be the first in the Philippines. Animal activists in several
countries are trying to stop the expansion of greyhound racetracks in
Asia, especially in South Korea, where dogs unfit for racing are allegedly
killed, cooked and eaten. EUROPE Reading, England: The Racing Post reported April 12 that Lively Woman, a semi-finalist in the Ladbroke Peterborough Puppy Derby, suffered fatal injuries in a first-turn fall at Reading Stadium. "It was absolutely horrible," said Nick Colton, the dog's trainer. "She basically snapped a front leg and we think her back was broken as well," he said. Neil MacGregor, an eyewitness,
called the Racing Post to criticize track management for not stopping
the hare and voiding the race. "It seemed cynical and risky"
for the other dogs, he said. Colton, who defended the track's action,
said, "I suppose it's the unwritten rule that you stop the hare in
such circumstances, but there wasn't any danger of the field hitting her
as they were stopped before they got to where she lay."
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