Final battle to save Macau’s exploited racing greyhounds

International animal rights groups mount combined effort to try to find new homes for some 650 dogs, with the Macau Canidrome Club set to be shut down in July next year

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Greyhounds racing at the Macau Canidrome Club, also known as Yat Yuen. Photo: Edward Wong

Published: 9:00am, 23 Jul 2017Updated: 12:02pm, 24 Jul 2017

Animal rights groups are fighting a final battle to rescue 650 greyhounds in Macau and find them new homes after the city’s controversial racing track closes down in July 2018.

An international campaign, involving Macau animal welfare charity Anima and two other animal rights groups in America and Italy, GREY2K USA Worldwide and Pet Ievrieri, was launched this week calling for the adoption of the dogs, which are currently used for profit.

“Our fear is that if we are not able to rescue them, these animals might be sent to [mainland] China, where there are private races, or Vietnam to run in unregulated race tracks,” Albano Martins, president of Anima, said. “Surely they would be used to feed illegal gambling.”

Greyhounds Magic and Honour, former racing dogs in Macau who will be adopted in September by leaders of animal rights groups in England and France. Photo: Handout

The Macau Canidrome Club, also known as Yat Yuen, has lawmaker Angela Leong On-Kei, gambling mogul Stanley Ho Hung-sun’s fourth wife, as one of its directors. It has faced strong criticism from the international community in past years for being accused of killing hundreds of dogs that failed to perform.

Following growing public pressure to end the races and make better use of the space in the former Portuguese enclave, the local government announced that the club’s license would not be renewed beyond July 2018.