Search Results (12)

Ireland is the largest beef trader and a major dairy exporter within the European Union. Horse racing holds significant cultural value, while greyhound racing is economically important at the regional level. As public concern about farm animal welfare rises and biodiversity loss intensifies, this research examines the political salience of animal protection in Ireland across the 2011, 2016, and 2020 general elections. Political salience measures the degree of public concern about political issues, with party manifestos serving as indicators of this concern. Using both quantitative and qualitative methods, this study analysed 364 statements on animal protection from Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, the Green Party, the Labour Party, and Sinn Féin. The results show a significant increase in the frequency and positivity of animal protection statements over the course of the election period, with a shift in the attitudes of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. The Green Party has consistently promoted progressive animal protection policies. Key issues such as farmed animal welfare, wildlife and biodiversity, and horse and greyhound racing have gained prominence in party manifestos, also reflecting economic influences. Despite this growing focus, critical issues such as the puppy trade and certain aspects of farmed animal welfare remain underrepresented. This research provides the first comprehensive academic analysis of animal protection policy in political party manifestos in the Republic of Ireland. Full article

The commercial greyhound racing industry in New Zealand is struggling with an eroding social license and ‘on-notice’ status. Multiple independent reviews of the industry have identified ongoing issues of animal welfare during and between races, euthanasia decisions, poor data tracking, a lack of transparency and problems with rehoming dogs, resulting in New Zealand animal advocacy agencies and the general public questioning the continuation of greyhound racing. The current paper assessed the New Zealand public’s awareness and familiarity with commercial greyhound racing, identified current levels of public support or opposition for racing, and provided context in terms of engagement with greyhound racing using a comprehensive survey of a robust sample of New Zealanders. The results confirm that the social license of the greyhound industry is under challenge with most respondents expressing disagreement with or lack of knowledge of current industry practices and indicating they would vote in support of a ban. There is scope for increasing public acceptability by addressing welfare issues, increasing awareness of positive industry practices, and encouraging transparency of the greyhound racing agency. However, as greyhound racing is on the decline worldwide, calls are likely to continue for a phase-out of commercial greyhound racing. Full article

This paper provides an initial investigation of quadruped rotary galloping gait patterns using data from racing greyhounds as they navigate their way around a constant radius bend. This study reviewed actual race data collected over a five month period from 2986 racing greyhounds. Using numerical dynamics modelling and value range analysis important factors were identified and analysed. By cleaning and synthesising simple X and Y data and also processing data for accuracy greyhound motion path dynamics results were produced for analysis. The results show that the galloping path greyhounds took going into the bend was different from the path coming out of the bend. It also shows that more than 50% of the greyhounds naturally optimised their path for a longer transition while minimising jerk when entering and exiting the bend. This research verified that individual greyhounds naturally chose different path transition lengths for accommodating their dynamic conditions. Finally, it was found that the greyhound galloping path dynamics state is less intense during the second half of the bend. Full article

To reduce injuries to greyhounds caused by collisions with fixed racing track objects such as the outside fence or the catching pen structures, padding systems are widely adopted. However, there are currently neither recognised standards nor minimum performance thresholds for greyhound industry padding systems. This research is the first of its kind to investigate the impact attenuation characteristics of different padding systems for use within the greyhound racing industry for the enhanced safety and welfare of racing greyhounds. A standard head injury criterion (HIC) meter was used to examine padding impact attenuation performance based on the maximum g-force, HIC level and the HIC duration. Initially, greyhound racing speed was recorded and analysed with the IsoLynx system to understand the potential impact hazard to greyhounds during racing which indicates the necessity for injury prevention with padding. A laboratory test was subsequently conducted to compare the impact attenuation performance of different kinds of padding. Since padding impact attenuation characteristics are also affected by the installation and substrate, onsite testing was conducted to obtain the padding system impact attenuation performance in actual greyhound racing track applications. The test results confirm that the padding currently used within the greyhound industry is adequate for the fence but inadequate when used for rigid structural members such as the catching pen gate supports. Thus, increasing the padding thickness is strongly recommended if it is used at such locations. More importantly, it is also recommended that, after the installation of padding on the track, its impact attenuation characteristics be tested according to the methodology developed herein to verify the suitability for protecting greyhounds from injury. Full article

This study investigates and compares the acoustic signatures of a traditional wire-cable-pulled lure system and two alternative battery-operated lure systems jointly developed by Covey Associates Pty. Ltd. and Steriline Pty. Ltd. to eliminate the hazardous steel-wire cable and make the sport of greyhound racing safer for greyhounds, participants and spectators. The acoustical measurements of these three lure systems were conducted at the Murray Bridge greyhound racing track. The lure sounds were measured by the high-frequency Brüel & Kjær (B&K) Type 4191 microphones for the 395 m and 455 m starts at two positions: within the starting box and on the track adjacent to the starting boxes. The measurements capture the sounds that the greyhounds hear before and after the opening of the starting box gate. The frequency-domain analysis and sound quality analysis were conducted to compare the lure sounds. It was found when the battery-lure was installed with all nylon rollers, it presented less sound energy and lower frequency than the traditional wire-cable-pulled lure. When two of the nylon rollers were replaced with steel rollers, the battery-operated lure emitted a louder and higher frequency sound than the traditional wire-cable-pulled lure. The different acoustic characteristics of these lure systems suggest future research is warranted on the reaction of greyhounds to different lure sounds, particularly their excitement level within the starting box as the lure approaches. This initial research also suggests some greyhounds may not clearly hear the battery-operated lure with all nylon rollers approaching the starting boxes and the timing of these greyhounds to jump may be delayed, particularly during high wind conditions. Full article

The University of Technology Sydney (UTS) has been working closely with the Australasian greyhound industry for more than 5 years to reduce greyhound race-related injuries. During this period, UTS has developed and deployed several different techniques including inertial measurement units, drones, high-frame-rate cameras, track geometric surveys, paw print analysis, track soil spring-force analysis, track maintenance data, race injury data, race computer simulation and modelling to assist in this task. During the period where the UTS recommendations have been adopted, the injury rate has dropped significantly. This has been achieved by animal welfare interventions that lower racing congestion, and lower transient forces and jerk rates the greyhounds experience during a race. This study investigated the use of a greyhound location tracing system where small and lightweight signal emitting devices were placed inside a pocket in the jackets of racing greyhounds. The system deployed an enhanced version of a player tracking system currently used to track the motion of human athletes. Greyhounds gallop at speeds of almost 20 m/s and are known to change their heading direction to exceed a yaw rate of 0.4 rad/s. The high magnitudes of velocity, acceleration and jerk posed significant technical challenges, as the greyhounds pushed the human tracking system beyond its original design limits. Clean race data gathered over a six-month period were analysed and presented for a typical 2-turn greyhound racing track. The data confirmed that on average, greyhounds ran along a path that resulted in the least energy wastage, which includes smooth non-linear paths that resemble easement curves at the transition between the straights to the semi-circular bends. This study also verified that the maximum jerk levels greyhounds experienced while racing were lower than the jerk levels that had been predicted with simulations and modelling for the track path. Furthermore, the results from this study show the possibility of such a systems deployment in data gathering in similar settings to greyhound racing such as thoroughbred and harness horse racing for understanding biomechanical kinematic performance. Full article

Infrared thermography (IRT) can be used to identify stressors associated with greyhound racing procedures. However, factors unrelated to stress may influence measurements. Validation of an eye side (right or left) and a reference point on the eye is required if IRT is to be standardised for industry use. Infrared images of greyhound heads (n = 465) were taken pre-racing and post-racing at three racetracks. Average temperature was recorded at seven different locations on each eye. A multivariate analysis model determined how several factors influenced eye temperature (ET) pre-racing and post-racing. As expected, ET increased after racing, which may be attributed to physical exertion, stress and arousal. The right eye and lacrimal caruncle had the highest sensitivity to temperature changes and could be considered reference points for future studies. Additionally, dogs that raced later had higher ET, and Richmond racetrack had the lowest pre-race ET, but the highest post-race ET. This may suggest that arousal increases as the race meet progresses and certain track attributes could increase stress. Furthermore, ET increased as humidity increased, and higher post-race ET was associated with light-coloured, young and low-performing dogs. Environmental and biological factors need to be considered if IRT is to become accurate in the detection of canine stress and monitoring of greyhound welfare. Full article

“Social license to operate” (SLO) refers to the implicit process by which a community gives an industry approval to conduct its current business activities. It has become an important focus for many natural resource management fields (especially mining), but there is less awareness of its role in animal use industries. This article describes how animal welfare has recently become arguably the most crucial consideration underpinning the SLO for Australian animal use industries. It describes several industries in Australia that have faced animal welfare scrutiny in the past decade (2010–2020) to illustrate how persistent issues can erode SLO, lead to regulatory bans, and decimate previously profitable industries. Industries described include the live export of livestock, greyhound and horse racing, kangaroo harvesting, and dairy and sheep farming. In these cases, there has been intense public discourse but little scholarly progress. This article examines factors that may have contributed to these developments and suggests approaches that may assist these industries in maintaining their SLO. Animal welfare has become a mainstream societal concern in Australia, and effective management of the community’s expectations will be essential for the maintenance of SLO for many animal use industries. Full article

The racing greyhound industry in Australia has come under scrutiny in recent years due to animal welfare concerns, including wastage where physically sound greyhounds fail to enter or are removed from the racing industry because of poor performance. The reasons why some greyhounds perform poorly in racing are not well understood, but may include insufficient reinforcement for racing or negative affective states in response to the race meet environment. The current study investigated ways to measure affective states of greyhounds (n = 525) at race meets across three racetracks and the factors influencing performance by collecting behavioural and demographic data, and infrared thermographic images of greyhounds’ eyes at race meets. Increasing Eye Temp After had a negative association with performance (n = 290, Effect = −0.173, s.e. = 0.074, p-value = 0.027), as did increasing age (n = 290, Effect = −0.395, s.e. = 0.136, p-value = 0.004). The start box number also had a significant association, with boxes 4, 5 and 7 having an inverse relationship with performance. There was a significant effect of racetrack on mean eye temperatures before and after the race (n = 442, Effect = 1.910, s.e. = 0.274, p-value < 0.001; Effect = 1.595, s.e. = 0.1221, p-value < 0.001 for Gosford and Wentworth respectively), suggesting that some tracks may be inherently more stressful for greyhounds than others. Mean eye temperature before the race increased as the race meet progressed (n = 442, Effect = 0.103, s.e. = 0.002, p-value < 0.001). Behaviours that may indicate frustration in the catching pen were extremely common at two of the tracks but much less common at the third, where toys attached to bungees were used to draw greyhounds into the catching pen. Full article

The welfare and wastage of racing greyhounds is a topic of public concern. Little is published about the racing patterns of these dogs in New Zealand. The aim of this study is to describe the pattern of greyhound racing in New Zealand. Data on all race starts between 1 August 2011 and 25 March 2018 were supplied by Greyhound Racing New Zealand. A cohort was created containing dogs that had a racing career between 1 August 2013 and 31 July 2017. Data were collated within a customized Microsoft Access database from electronic records of all racing starts for every dog within the 2013–2016 racing seasons. For this cohort of racing dogs, there were 97,973 race starts across 22,277 races involving 2393 individual greyhounds. The median number of days between racing starts was 7 days (inter-quartile range (IQR): 4–10 days). The median career length was 424 days (IQR: 206–647 days) and the median number of racing starts throughout a racing career was 35 (IQR: 16–59 starts). Dogs of similar ability finished their career at a similar age. Full article

Hare coursing is legal in the Republic of Ireland under licenses issued to coursing clubs but is illegal in other jurisdictions in the British Isles including Northern Ireland. Supporters of coursing maintain that coursing contributes to the conservation of the hare whilst opponents claim that coursing is cruel and the welfare of the hares is compromised. However, while the contribution of coursing to conservation has been considered, the impact of coursing on hare welfare has not been investigated. This paper reviews publicly available information from licensed hare coursing clubs over four coursing seasons, including the number of hares taken from the wild, numbers coursed, and numbers pinned to the ground by dogs, killed or injured during coursing events. In total, 19,402 hares were taken from the wild—98% of which were subsequently released back to the wild at the end of the coursing season. Almost 600 hares were pinned by greyhounds during coursing events and 75 were either killed or had to be euthanized as a result of their injuries. While the number of hares killed or injured is relatively small compared to the number caught, the welfare of all captured hares will have been compromised and has not been investigated. Policy makers must fill this knowledge gap or take a precautionary approach and further regulate or indeed prohibit the capture of hares which are otherwise fully protected. Full article

The high rate of severe injuries associated with racing greyhounds poses a significant problem for both animal welfare and the racing industry. Using accelerometry to develop a better understanding of the complex gait of these agile canines may help to eliminate injury contributing factors. This study used a single Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) equipped with a tri-axial accelerometer to characterise the galloping of thirty-one greyhounds on five different race tracks. The dorsal-ventral and anterior-posterior accelerations were analysed in both the time and frequency domains. The fast Fourier transform (FFT) and Morlet wavelet transform were applied to signals. The time-domain signals were synced with the corresponding high frame rate videos of the race. It was observed that the acceleration peaks in the dorsal-ventral accelerations correspond to the hind-leg strikes which were noted to be fifteen times the greyhound’s weight. The FFT analysis showed that the stride frequencies in all tracks were around 3.5 Hz. The Morlet wavelet analysis also showed a reduction in both the frequency and magnitude of signals, which suggests a speed reduction throughout the race. Also, by detecting abrupt changes along the track, the wavelet analysis highlighted potentially hazardous locations on the track. In conclusion, the methods applied in this research contribute to animal safety and welfare by eliminating the factors leading to injuries through optimising the track design and surface type. Full article