Guest guest Posted July 1, 2002 Report Share Posted July 1, 2002 Sunday Morning Post 30th June 2002 by Ella Lee Pressure is mounting on the Macau Government to stop the Jockey Club shooting too many retired racehorses, after the Sunday Morning Post exposed the inhumane practice two weeks ago. The Hong Kong Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) is seeking a meeting with Macau Chief Executive, Edmund Ho Hau-wah - who is also the patron of the Macau Jockey Club - to express its concern over poor animal welfare in the enclave. The Post had earlier reported six to eight retired racehorses at the Macau Jockey Club were shot on average every Thursday because there were no facilities to keep them, and their owners did not bother to pay for their maintenance. The shootings could be seen from the public road next to the club, which has admitted some of the creatures were " generally healthy " and could have enjoyed an extended life. About a year ago, Macau changed the killing method from lethal injection to bullets, which are half the price. The club said that in the past 12 months, 188 ex-racehorse suffering chronic arthritic conditions had been shot. But on the past two Thursdays, after the Post reports, no shootings could be seen from the road. Macau Jockey Club sources said the shooting was now done indoors, because " we do not want any more pictures to be taken " . The RSPCA in Britain said it was very concerned about excessive production of horses and the disposal of unwanted animals. " We would urge the owners to take responsibility for their horses. If otherwise healthy horses have come to the end of their racing careers then ideally they should be rehabilitated and re-homed, " David McDowell, the RSPCA's equine veterinary officer, said. The Post reported that racehorses in Macau were shot in full view of other horses. Paul Lilttlefair, the RSPCA's East Asia programme manager, said as a rule no animal should be slaughtered under conditions of psychological stress or suffering. " This means that no horse should see another horse being killed. Each horse should be slaughtered individually, in an enclosed space separated from the sight and preferably smell of other animals, " Mr Littlefair said. The Macau Racehorse Owners' Association also urged the Macau Jockey Club to speed up its quarantine protocols with New Zealand and Australia so retired horses could be sent there. The association will meet next month to discuss the issue. " We want to ask our members to care more about the welfare of their retired horses, " association chairman Cheng Ming-leung said. Allan Zeman, Lan Kwai Fong group chairman and a potential investor in Macau, said the shooting of racehorses in Macau was disturbing and that " something should be done " . Mr Zeman, who owns two horses at the Hong Kong Jockey Club and is a former horse owner in Macau, said: " Obviously nobody wants to see those pictures of horses being shot in the head; it is disturbing. The image is not good for the city. There must be an easier way to put them to sleep or to find them a home. I am confident Edmund Ho will do something about it. " Mr Ho has refused to comment. But a spokesman for the Macau Government said it was making inquiries about exporting retired racehorses to Australia and New Zealand. ******************* Lifeline for retired animals awaits approval as vet attacks SAR [Hong Kong] rules by Alex Lo Hong Kong cannot take in retired Macau racehorses to save them from being put down because health safeguards are not in place, Hong Kong officials said. But an import protocol was being drafted which might allow Hong Kong to bring the horses across in future, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department said. The statement followed claims by a senior veterinarian with Macau's municipal administration, Dr Antonio Galvao, that Hong Kong's refusal to permit imports was the reason the Macau Jockey Club shot up to 300 retired or injured racehorses each year. " The drafting of the protocol of the import requirement for horses from Macau to Hong Kong with the Macau Veterinary Authority is still in progress, " a department spokeswoman said. " In the past few years, we have maintained close contact with the Macau Government and the Macau Jockey Club about the movement of horses between Macau and Hong Kong. " The spokeswoman did not say if there was a deadline for the draft protocol. She also would not say how hard Macau officials had pressed for one in the past. The department clears live animal imports into the SAR. The Sunday Morning Post's exclusive report earlier this month on the routine killing of healthy horses sparked outrage and offers from around the world to adopt the animals. In an interview with the Portuguese-language daily Ponto Final after the report, Dr Gamvao claimed Macau had tried for years to send the animals to Hong Kong, but authorities here refused to accept them. " That means, because of their [Hong Kong's] policy of animal hygiene, it's the authorities in Hong Kong that sign the death penalty for these horses, " said the top vet, who also alleged that the Post's reports were part of " a war " by the Hong Kong Jockey Club against Macau. The Jockey Club in Hong Kong has refused to comment on any aspect of the issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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