Singer Shannon Noll is performing at Newcastle’s The Gardens greyhound track on 11 June 2022.
He’s part of the “Ladbrokes 715”, a “new feature event” for long-distance racing, with the winner getting $500,000.
Why would you want to sing at a track where:
– two greyhounds have been killed this year, seven in 2021, and two in 2020.
– 144 dogs have been injured this year, 295 in 2021, and 381 in 2020
– of the 757 injuries at The Gardens since 2020, 63 were life-threatening.
– 22-month-old Cosmic Wind was killed after she slid into the catching pen gate
– three-year-old Weffalee Kelly died after collapsing after his race
– two-year-old Coniglio was torn apart by the lure
– Sketchy Huntsman, My Girl Sonny, Flame Offiah, Bingo Balls, Jilliby Skippy, Drive-By Becky, and Aria Mulwee suffered fractured legs and were euthanased
– race videos are regularly censored to remove images of harmed greyhounds
In the wider Hunter Valley area, 20 greyhounds have been killed and 983 injured since January 2020.
Of course, the racing people won’t be sharing the data from stewards’ reports with Shannon. Instead, they’ll be bragging about the millions of taxpayer dollars being poured into racing and the bigger prizes.
They’ll be spinning their disinformation about the racing industry. If Shannon wants to learn the truth, he could start with a recent Hobart Mercury article by Independent MP Kristie Johnston: “Cruel, ruthless industry has run its race”.
Note that longer races will strain the greyhounds’ already stressed bodies more.
Fifteen greyhounds have broken their legs at The Gardens track this year. Many injured dogs are euthanased away from the course, but they never tell which ones.
Nollsie, if you see a greyhound with a broken leg, maybe you could intervene to stop euthanasia and save a life. It’s called loyalty to your mates. But unfortunately, it doesn’t exist in the greyhound racing industry.
The image at the top shows Flame Offiah in the race where he will be euthanased. Photos below show the experience of greyhounds at The Gardens track; some of the dogs were killed. Shannon could write a song to commemorate these victims.
