Animal rights | Irish greyhounds may substitute Aussie supply

Three Irish greyhounds have been imported to Macau’s Yat Yuen Canidrome, reports The Sunday Times, despite the fact that the Irish Department of Agriculture has previously refused the Irish Greyhound Board a permit to export the dogs to China due to animal welfare concerns.
The newspaper says that, according to eyewitnesses familiar with Irish greyhound ear-markings, the names of the dogs raced at the Canidrome match those of animals registered with the Irish Greyhound Board.
Albano Martins, president of the Society for the Protection of Animals (Macau), or Anima, said that the Irish greyhounds – the first of their kind in the MSAR – may be an attempt to determine whether Ireland can fill a supply vacuum.
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s “7.30” revealed in December that approximately 30 underperforming dogs are killed each month at the Canidrome, where as many as 800 are housed in often unsanitary conditions.
The alleged maltreatment exposed during the investigation led to Australian airline Qantas canceling its freight services for the export of greyhounds to Asia.