No deal for Macau greyhounds
From ANIMAL PEOPLE, May 2012:
No deal for Macau greyhounds
MACAU–It was a cruel April Fool for dozens of greyhounds, the U.S. organization Grey 2K, Animals Aust-ralia, and the Macau animal rescue society Anima. Macau media reported on April 1, 2012 that Anima and the Macau Yat Yuen Canidrome Company Ltd. had signed an agreement to allow Anima to rehome ex-racing greyhounds, a first in the 82-year history of the Macau Canidrome. Nevada casino owner Steve Wynn had reportedly donated $250,000 to build kennels for the rescued dogs.
Within 24 hours, however, Anima spokesperson Albano Martins advised Grey 2K and Animals Australia that there was no such deal.
Grey 2K estimates that 383 dogs were killed at the Macau Cani-drome in 2010, up from 322 in 2009, and that 302 dogs were injured on the track in one 10-week stretch. The Macau Canidrome imports about 360 racing greyhounds per year, 280 of them from Australia. Macau Canidrome gambling revenues came to $37 million in 2011, said Grey 2K, down 13% from 2010.
The Macau Canidrome opened in 1930, two years after the Shanghai Canidrome introduced greyhound racing to China. Closed by the Communist Party in 1949, the Shanghai Canidrome was later used for rallies and mass public executions. Most of the site was demolished in 2005 for redevelopment.
