The real name of the game
RACEHORSE DEATHS
HERE we are at the Spring Carnival racing season, when owners, trainers and jockeys stride out onto the lush turfs of Flemington, Mooney Valley and Caulfield to extol the virtues of speed of their thoroughbreds. It’s a festival of high value commercialism and media and punting bliss. Performance is everything, and the stakes, fashion, and champagne flow like there is no tomorrow. The name of the game is victory. In this scenario, if a horse does not come up to speed, the end game can be a swift one-way ticket to the knackery. The uncovering of ABC’s 7.30 program of the sheer brutality perpetrated on these gentle and intelligent horses is barbarism of the worst kind.
The NSW racing industry has said the slaughter of racehorses is against its rules and regulations, although in legal terms it is not illegal in QLD and NSW. Racing has had the lid opened (in a similar fashion to the greyhound racing industry). It’s a shameful indictment on those who permit their horses to find their fate at an abattoir when many retirement options are available. Placing money ahead of welfare demonstrates contempt for those horses compelled to train and perform. The result of being less swift comes at the cost of dispensability — and ultimately at the outrageous silencing of equine life. are separate businesses that fall outside the jurisdiction of racing. The ABC program should have acknowledged this fact. And those who say that racing people are in it to make a profit are also misguided. Most horse owners operate at a loss.
What did torture gain?
WHY oh why did those beautiful horses have to be so cruelly tortured at death. What did it achieve? Was it a means of those people venting their spleen on the suffering creatures? The same thought would apply to greyhounds, or bears or sheep or any other animal. Even to humans. May these horses be fittingly cared for in their retirement in the future. May humans examine their own motives when dealing with animals in any way.
Thousands disappear
HARROWING footage on ABC TV’s 7.30 has disgusted Australians. Undercover footage at a Queensland abattoir showed the use of faulty stunning equipment, horses beaten with pipes and frightened, stressed horses screamed at on their way to slaughter. Overbreeding results in the ‘wastage’ of about 14,000 racehorses yearly, while the footage exposed an estimated 4000 horses dying in one Queensland abattoir. There are no laws protecting racehorses going to knackeries and it is now obvious there isn’t a reliable trace of where thousands disappeared to.
Thankfully activists and whistleblowers or domestic terrorists as our PM prefers to call them, have again exposed the grubby exploitation and violation. With 95 per cent of Australians concerned
Parking isn’t a problem as most events would be at night when the city is almost closed, so plenty of parking available. Imagine the amount of visitors to Hobart, they’d be wonderful events, staying in the city, walking to the ground. A similar experience to Adelaide, it just fantastic.— with animal welfare, Andy Meddick from the Animal Justice Party is calling for a royal commission into racing including greyhounds. Don’t support horse racing which is cruel and money driven, but give donations to Brightside where ex-racehorses are loved, cared for and respected.
Inhumane irony
WITH the latest expose and justifiable public outrage against retired racehorse disposability, this abhorrent practice under current state jurisdictions may be perfectly legal. How the filmed evidence was acquired may be subject to penalties as prescribed by new legislation passed by the Federal Government to disallow people entering properties suspected of conducting animal cruelty. An ironic juxtaposition is the lack of public outrage regarding inhumane practices being undertaken at particular aged care homes against the elderly of our society.
No excuse
I RECEIVED an “invite” from Wrest Point Entertainment to join them at their Melbourne Cup festivities. I am appalled that given the expose of the disgraceful treatment of horses no longer needed (“wastage” as they call it), that Wrest Point are even considering profiting from this event. If they go ahead, we can only assume their business openly supports animal cruelty. And if people pay up and go to these events, they too are supporters of animal cruelty. Now we know what goes on, there is no excuse. Nup to the Cup.
Workers don’t get a choice
THE Hobart City councillors get to vote as to whether they get to waste ratepayers’ money on a report to say if they should be drug tested. An option the people that pay their wages don’t get in their workplace.
Backing Brightside
I CONTINUE to be supportive of Emma Haswell and the Brightside Farm Sanctuary, and of my greyhound adopted through the Hobart Dogs’ Home two years ago. Wouldn’t it be fantastic if, in addition to public support, Brightside also received financial assistance from the State Government and (possibly) discounted fees from Tasmanian veterinary organisations called on to render assistance.
Ease Sandy Bay danger
FOLLOWING Paul Merhulik’s comments on the Sandy Bay Rd/King St intersection and its inherent dangers for both vehicles and pedestrians (Letters, October 21), why is it that traffic engineers have failed to install green arrows to allow traffic the ability to turn right in every direction. Surely this would go a long way to alleviating traffic build up particularly in King St travelling both east and west.
Fish farms out of water
HOW about fish farms being located on land?
GPO Box 334, Hobart, Tas 7001
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