Campaigners in axe plea on risky greyhound track
Track owner claims 1 in 10 dogs are hurt
Scotland’s only currently operating dog track is n ine t imes more dangerous than official venues, campaigners have claimed.
Thornton track near Kirkcaldy is the only place to catch a race because Shawfield, near Glasgow, has been shut since lockdown.
And while Shawf ield is the country’s only track approved by racing body the Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB), Thornton is an independent or “flapping” track.
It is not approved by the GBGB and means organisers don’t need to meet rules on drug testing dogs, having a vet on site or in compiling lists of injuries and deaths for racing dogs.
Last Wednesday a petition was debated in the Scot t ish Parliament calling for a ban on greyhound racing – a move backed by the Scottish SPCA.
In an interview with BBC’s Nine show last week, Thornton’s owner Paul Brignal hit out at critics of the industry.
He said: “The trouble with all these campaigners is they overstate the situation.
“Greyhounds run around this track and, nine times out of 10, they don’t even get a sl ight injury.”
But campaigners say it means one in 10 do get hurt – far higher than the industry standard.
Latest f igures from GBGB show that out of 318,346 dog runs in 2020, there were 3575 injuries, equivalent to 1.12 per cent.
GBGB’s data also showed that 200 racing dogs died at its tracks that year.
Gil l Doherty of Scotland Against Greyhound Exploitation (Sage) said: “All injuries and deaths are unacceptable but we are sure the problem is far worse at tracks like Thornton. With no vets present, it is little wonder that dogs will suffer painful injuries and no medical help afterwards.
“This is the first time we have heard from f lapping track owners, in their own words, the extent of injuries suffered.
“It shows that flapping tracks are even more dangerous than GBGB tracks, whose injury statistics – although significantly
lower – are also horrific.” Scottish Greens MSP Mark Ruskell said: “It’s time that decisive action is taken to protect the welfare of greyhounds and finally put an end to g reyhound racing in Scotland.”
Last night, Thornton stadium was holding a race meet with punters charged £5 to get in.
Brignal was contacted for comment.