Greyhound racing will soon be illegal in Aotearoa. File photo.
Photo: PHOTOSPORT
A charter plane could fly dozens of greyhounds to Australia to avoid a dog racing ban in New Zealand.
Greyhound racing will be illegal in Aotearoa from August.
The move follows several critical reviews of the industry and concerns around animal welfare.
A Greyhound Transition Agency has been set up to help re-home up to 2000 dogs and was responsible for their welfare until then.
But Greyhound Racing NZ is floating the idea of taking up to 70 dogs on a charter flight to Queensland – where racing was still legal.
Chief executive Edward Rennell told Checkpoint this could help some trainers reduce some of the losses they were incurring.
“We believe some individuals might want to send some dogs to Australia, we’re not talking about sending every dog in their kennel, but there may be a trainer looking to send two or three and then you add who would be competitive in Australia and a chance for them to minimize some of the expenses they’ve incurred,” he said.
“We’re looking to see whether collectively there’s enough interest to justify a charter flight. There’s no guarantee it will happen unless we can make it viable up around the 60 or 70 number but that’s still a minor number of the 1700 that will need to be re-homed post 1 August,” he said.
Rennell said trainers would likely race the dogs in Australia.
“There would be only the very top dogs that would be competitive, no different to the top thoroughbred and harness horses who go over to Australia and race. There may be some of the very well bred dogs that may be sent over there for breeding purposes but you’re really talking the top dogs that it would be viable for them to do that,” he said.
Rennell said Greyhound Racing New Zealand would cover the cost of the charter if it got off the ground.
The industry and the Greyhound Transition Agency had been at loggerheads over payments to keep caring for the greyhounds until they were effectively adopted out.
The agency told RNZ it was not aware of the charter plane proposal.
It said the budget for the transition agency had now been set, the contract was in development and it would advise the industry of next steps this week, including advice of the daily rates.
It did not expect any extension for the deadline for the end of greyhound racing in New Zealand.
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