While a Bill was passed with overwhelming support of the New Zealand Parliament – 112 votes in to 11, that Commercial greyhound racing in New Zealand was to end last Friday, damning new undercover footage has exposed veterinary clinics complicit in the routine killing of healthy racing greyhounds in Australia.
A disturbing video• has captured a young greyhound, Tarawi Minnie, being dragged into a Queensland vet clinic – a clinic that frequently sponsors the greyhound racing industry – by her trainer. Investigators later located her body inside a clinic freezer that same afternoon.
216 dogs killed in Queensland
Tarawi Minnie was one of 216 dogs who were killed in Queensland in 2024 deemed ‘unrehomable’. By comparison, the largest racing state, NSW, had 17 dogs killed in that category.
According to official 2025 figures, 132 greyhounds in Queensland were euthanised under the classification ‘not suitable for rehome’, compared to 55 in Victoria (‘due to temperament’) and 18 in New South Wales (‘behaviourally unsuitable’).
While Queensland’s total reported euthanasia figures show a decrease – likely driven by the introduction of local euthanasia rules under the Queensland Racing Integrity framework – advocates point out that the state still accounts for an overwhelmingly disproportionate share of dogs destroyed for suitability reasons.
The vast disparity highlights ongoing concerns that administrative policy shifts may be masking broader welfare failures rather than solving the industry’s rehoming crisis.
Industry continues to hide brutal reality
Chief Veterinary Officer of Greyhound Racing NSW, Dr Alex Brittan, said the industry as a whole continues to hide the brutal reality of the greyhound racing and the unacceptable costs to the greyhounds. ‘It’s a non-sustainable industry that continues to over produce dogs, who will have little chance of surviving and of then being re-homed to a loving family.
‘Under the current legislation, it would appear tragically easy for trainers to circumvent legislation and to euthanase unwanted retired “stock” – often referred to as “backlog”, with a pitiful lack of meaningful governance or oversight from the regulatory bodies.’
Protest rally on Saturday
The video came to light as animal protection organisations prepared for a major protest rally in Brisbane on Saturday. In conjunction with the protest, a parliamentary petition sponsored by Labor MP Jennifer Howard has been launched, demanding an end to Queensland’s greyhound racing industry.
Rally organisers say the situation in Queensland has reached a crisis point. They say recent data reveals a massive, deadly failure in the state’s greyhound rehoming program. While other states report negligible numbers, dozens of Queensland greyhounds have been callously euthanised under the category ‘not for re-home/GAP’.
Analysis shows greyhounds – including healthy, young dogs and veterans with long racing careers – are being systematically killed rather than given basic transition care into loving homes.
On a side note, last Wednesday, July 29, at a race at The Q sponsored by Rosewood Veterinary Service, a three-dog fall resulted in greyhound Vandorlo suffering a leg fracture. Advocates will be watching to see if Vandorlo will be euthanised.
Demands for an immediate end to the destruction of unwanted race dogs
Saturday’s rally featured key industry whistleblowers and leaders from Australia’s animal advocacy groups, demanding an immediate end to the destruction of unwanted race dogs.
President of the Coalition for the Protection of Greyhounds (CPG), Amy MacMahon, said that these horrific kill rates are what happens when gambling profits are put ahead of animal welfare. ‘Greyhounds are run to death for the sake of bets with Ladbrokes or Sportsbet, and then can be written off as “unrehomable” and put down in cold blood. We know that the majority of Queenslanders are fed up with this industry, fed up with the deaths, and the waste, and being taken for a ride by the gambling companies.’
Speaking for AnimalKIND, Amanda Holly, said the industry is inherently cruel on so many levels. ‘From the deliberate overbreeding and severe track injuries to doping, live baiting and the systematic destruction of young dogs who don’t win races, it has proven time and again that it cannot be reformed.
Greyhound racing does not deserve public support
‘Greyhound racing does not deserve the support of the public, nor does it deserve another cent of government funding or tax-payer subsidies.’
Dr Brittan, said a practising veterinarian is bound by a professional code of conduct that mandates that they must always act in the best interests of any animal under their care. ‘Furthermore we are forbidden from breaking the rules of any sporting / industry rules.
‘If a practising veterinarian were ever found to have euthanased “unwanted stock”, then this is a matter that should be referred directly to the vet surgeons board for their immediate consideration and is something I believe they would take most seriously.’
- The Echo has viewed the video but feels it is too distressing to reproduce here.
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