News
Claws out after dog racing hearings
By Eleanor Momberg
Taken from www.iol.co.za March 22 2009.
Government-sponsored public hearings into the possible legalisation of greyhound racing in South Africa have resulted in a war of words between animal rights activists and dog racers.
While the animal rights groups say the sport, banned in 1949, would contribute to a greater level of animal abuse and further human welfare problems, the dog racing industry argues that legalisation would see greater control over the welfare of the animals, create more than 35 000 jobs and contribute more than R1.5 billion to the economy.
Last year the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) appointed a combined research team of members of the University of the Free State's law faculty to investigate the possible legalisation of the sport after a submission by Amatwina Sport to the department to allow the racing in line with the government's gambling policy.
The research was focusing on, inter alia, the socio-economic impact of dog racing, welfare issues, and the extent to which dog racing was practised in South Africa.
After the compilation of an initial report, a series of public hearings was held to gauge public opinion.
The hearings saw animal rights activists complain of bias in favour of legalising greyhound racing, charging that no debate was allowed during the sessions.
After the first hearing in Durban, the SPCA circulated an e-mail calling for the public to sign a petition to stop the legalisation of the sport.
It claimed that issues such as black economic empowerment, social upliftment and job creation were hammered home by local communities, while the opposing voices were only allowed to stand up and state their name.
Similar claims were made about hearings in Port Elizabeth, Bloemfontein, Pretoria and Potchefstroom.
The Pretoria hearing was attended by a number of dog racers from Ulundi wearing anti-SPCA T-shirts, while in Potchefstroom activists carried photographs of greyhounds bred and raced in inhumane conditions in Soweto.
An animal rights activist claimed that dog racers were bused in to the hearings and were paid to attend.
Imbalance
The source said no rebuttals were permitted at the hearings. "We were not allowed to contest the imbalance in the presentations," the source said.
The allegation of stifled debate was denied by the DTI, supported by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), which is itself strongly opposed to the legalisation of dog racing.
IFAW said after the Cape Town hearings that the panel had listened to all points of view and had asked pointed questions. Animal Rights Africa (ARA), IFAW and the SPCA have undertaken to fight the legalisation of the sport.
They held as their primary concern the well-being of the animals.
In its written submission to the researchers, ARA said international evidence showed that greyhound racing was related to high levels of cruelty to dogs in the industry.
Among the welfare concerns raised by the animal rights groups was the use of live lures, and the housing of dogs in crates and cages for long periods between races and during transport.
Also of concern to the these groups was the the discarding of non-performing dogs, the use of performance-enhancing drugs, and the introduction of another form of gambling that would further burden underprivileged communities.
"Human welfare concerns are also paramount. ARA does not believe this type of gambling is sound economic business practice, but opportunistic to only a handful of racketeering profit mongers."
ARA also questioned why the government was looking into legalising an industry that was "in rapid decline" around the world.
The SPCA has threatened to turn to the high court to stop any attempt to legalise the sport.
IFAW argued it would be left to animal welfare NGOs to deal with discarded greyhounds should the sport be legalised because the South African authorities did not have laws nor manpower to manage illegal activities such as dog fighting and puppy mills.
"Under the circumstances, it is inexplicable how they can even consider legalising greyhound racing," said the organisation.
IFAW said the reintroduction of dog racing under poor socio-economic conditions would lead to dogs being seen as expendable commodities, thus further burdening the animal welfare organisations and encouraging a cycle of animal abuse.
In February, the Kennel Union of South Africa argued that dog racing would involve cruelty to the dogs concerned.
"Further problems concern the use of drugs and live lures for training, and an important objection pertains to puppies who do not make the grade and dogs at the end of their careers," it said.
Amatwina Sport spokesman Shane Brody defended the bid to legalise greyhound racing, arguing it was an attempt to bring greater control to an industry that was already thriving underground and that was growing in popularity among the black middle class.
Discredit
Brody countered allegations that the public hearings had been biased, saying this was a last-ditch attempt "by soundly beaten protagonists to discredit this entire process".
Brody, who was the driving force behind the legalisation bid, said insinuations that the government's plan to legalise the sport was based on Amatwina Sport's business model obfuscated the company's role in the process.
"When we approached national government some years ago to request the reintroduction of greyhound racing as a sport-cum-industry in South Africa, they requested from us a detailed and substantial set of proposals which address, on the one hand, the many concerns of bodies like the NSPCA, and on the other hand, projections and intended models which will indicate viability and socio-economic value," said Brody.
He also dismissed claims that his company had paid people to attend the hearings.
He said people bused to the hearings had been subsidised by their rural clubs which had, in some instances, paid their taxi and bus fares so they could make their voices heard.
Countering allegations that the poor and rural communities would face further socio-economic ruin should greyhound racing be legalised, Brody indicated that those formerly disadvantaged people already involved in the industry "indeed do have the capacity and wealth to become meaningfully involved in greyhound racing".
"We are also of the opinion that the DTI will carefully scrutinise all such factors as pertinent to meaningful black economic empowerment and broad-based BEE," he said.
He said attacking greyhound racing by highlighting the evils of gambling was a propagandist ploy.
"Gambling is not only mainstream and legal in South Africa, but it must be viewed in context of the fact that greyhound racing will, second to horse racing, probably be one of the biggest job creators in the broader betting and gaming industry," he said.
Brody was adamant that money was not the motivational factor behind the initiative to legalise the racing, stating that all present trainers raced their dogs solely for the enjoyment of the sport.
Animal Rights Africa Greyhound GALLERY
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