Macau greyhounds await forever homes
On a sweltering afternoon in Macau, panting greyhounds lie in tiny concrete kennels at the gambling enclave's notorious dog-racing track, as a new plan to save them emerged following the venue’s closure.
The dogs are currently walked each day by an army of dedicated volunteers from all over Macau, who have been helping out at the deserted Canidrome Club since it shut down on July 21.
Some 533 greyhounds still live at the shabby venue, which was Asia’s only legal dog-racing track. Many of those remaining have patches of fur missing, a result of sleeping on wet concrete according to activists, who say injured dogs went untreated when the Canidrome was still operating.
They believe up to 300 greyhounds were killed each year as they reached their racing shelf-life. First opened in 1931, the track’s closure was a victory for those who had spent years criticising its treatment of the animals. But the firm which operated the track, Yat Yuen, failed to rehome the animals ahead of the shutdown, despite being given two years’ notice by authorities.
Macau’s angry government stepped in to guarantee the dogs’ safety, slamming Yat Yuen as irresponsible and threatening heavy fines for abandoning the greyhounds. It was a direct challenge to Angela Leong, fourth wife of Macau casino pioneer Stanley Ho and a legislator in the city, who runs the firm.
Yat Yuen finally seemed to cave to public and political pressure Friday, announcing a joint proposal with Macau animal protection NGO Anima which would see the dogs looked after at the Canidrome for another two months at the firm’s expense then moved to a newly renovated shelter, where any who are not adopted would be cared for until the end of their lives.
Anima would run the shelter in Taipa, Macau, to be called the International Centre for the Rehoming of Greyhounds, and would also be in charge of the adoption process.
Leong would make a “financial commitment” to running the centre, the statement said, without giving a figure.