Animal rights – Greyhound racing | W. Virginia facility latest to face final days

A greyhound facility in West Virginia, U.S. may be facing its final days, the latest in a global trend of closures amid growing disinterest in dog racing.

The decision follows the waning popularity of such forms of racing entertainment, spurred by animal rights activism in recent years.

One target of such activism has been Macau’s own Yat Yuen Canidrome Company, which has found itself the object of condemnation at recent European anti-racing rallies in Italy, Ireland and the U.K.

As a result of the widespread disapproval, the MSAR government last year presented the owners of the Canidrome with an ultimatum: relocate to another site or close down. In the absence of another feasible location for greyhound racing in Macau, most activists believe the racing activities will end this year.

The industry, which has long been unprofitable in West Virginia and Macau alike, is set for a cut of USD14 million in subsidies that currently benefit dog racing breeders and handlers.

The subsidies, which were originally implemented to help greyhound racing compete with slot machines and gaming tables, were revoked by a recent bill in the state’s local legislature.

Now, lawmakers want that money to address a state budget shortfall that is expected to reach as much as $500 million next fiscal year.

“This is happening everywhere around the world,” Albano Martins, the president of animal protection association Anima (Macau), told the Times yesterday.

“It’s a daily fight every day around the world. In places like Ireland, greyhound tracks survive because of subsidies. In Macau, they are also saved by the government.”

“The Macau [Yat Yuen] Canidrome will close in July next year,” he added. “This has been confirmed by the government through the ultimatum: relocate or close down. There is nowhere to relocate to, so the Canidrome will have to close. […] The government will not change their mind on this front.”

Despite general disinterest in the sport, racing officials in West Virginia are decrying the bill, claiming that it will kill the local industry and force hundreds to find work elsewhere.

In Macau, where unemployment remains healthy at just under 2 percent, the arguments for keeping the track open hinge on the Canidrome’s contribution to Macau’s heritage.

Macau lawmaker Angela Leong, the Canidrome’s deputy president, previously described the facility as “a collective memory of Macau residents” and stated that it has “important historic and tourism value” to the city.

However, in the U.S., Republican Senator Mike Azinger stated in simple terms that “West Virginia’s future is not in subsidizing losing ventures like these.”

The decision in West Virginia will ultimately fall to the state’s governor, Democrat Jim Justice. It is not yet clear if he intends to approve the bill, but he is expected to make a decision in the coming days.

“It is not clear whether they [the subsidies] will end soon,” said Martins, “but it’s not longer financially profitable to make this sort of entertainment […] with the blood of animals.”