Greyhound Racing

The Animal Justice Party Has Failed The Animals Already

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Have the AJP and Mark Pearson failed the animals already?
Mark Pearson, a self proclaimed voice for the voiceless who isn’t ashamed to use them as a prop. Source: Facebook

Five days ago, the Honorable Mark Pearson MLC, gave his maiden speech to the NSW’s Legislative Council. With people watching streamed footage, and a packed public gallery, this should have been a watershed moment for the plight of other animals.

Never again will the animals have a captive audience where a supposed dedicated advocate of theirs would be able to champion their cause in such an open forum.

Missed Opportunity

For all the talk and rhetoric of both him and the Animal Justice Party being a voice for the voiceless, he failed to mention anything about seeking justice for them, or that one things that could help the animals.

Going Vegan.

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Animal Liberation Queensland Gives Up On Other Animals.

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Photo Credit: Rainer Hungershausen via Flickr cc
Photo Credit: Rainer Hungershausen via Flickr cc

If you aren’t a greyhound, don’t expect much help or a campaign out of the Queensland branch of the Animal Liberation franchise.

In what has to be the worst case of dropping the ‘animal rights’ ball that this author has ever seen, Animal Liberation Queensland seems to be single-mindedly focusing on feebly attempting to stop the proposed greyhound track at Underwood in Queensland’s Logan Shire.

Despite being having the words “Animal Liberation” in their name, and having as part of their objective “To abolish man’s attitude of speciesism towards animals”, the group has forsaken all others to get a bit of publicity around greyhounds.

This single campaign to them is that important that they passed on footage, anonymously given to them, to another organisation for them to use, rather than use it themselves.

Now whilst I think it is great that they are sharing footage with other organisations outside of the franchise, I personally think it was a wasted opportunity for them to promote veganism. Something that would have benefited ALL animals.

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Are Single Issue Campaigns Really That Bad?

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Of all the campaigns undertaken within the animal advocacy movement, the single issue campaign is the most common.

Supporters of this type of campaigning justify their continued use by saying things like at least we are doing something, every little bit helps, baby steps, and the old faithful one, the world won’t go vegan overnight.

Whilst there really isn’t anything to argue about when single focus groups launch these campaigns, they do leave a rather unpleasant taste in the mouth when they are promoted by so-called vegan or animal rights groups.

When these groups focus on a single cause as something that is more important than what other animals are enduring, they are literally elevating the status of those animals above all others.

Take for example some of the recent campaigns by local vegan and/or animal rights groups, and how their activities are likely to cause confusion among those who care about animals.

One moment they are protesting Lennon Bros Circus’ use of lions and exotic animals, yet so far I haven’t heard a mention of a protest, let alone media campaign about Hudsons Circus’ use of Macaws, Buffalo, Llamas, Zebras or horses in their shows. Though this could be because their focus is on greyhounds.

This implies that how the lions are kept and used is more important than Macaws, Buffalo, Llamas, Zebras or horses, with a few greyhounds being more important than all of them.

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What Will You Actually Save Them From

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This past week I received two emails in particular that both upset and infuriated me at the same time.

The first one was an email from Animals Australia that was asking for donations. The email featured a picture of a bull that I believe is from their recent Gaza/Ban Live Export investigation.

Whilst I don’t really have any issue with Animals Australia asking for money via email, they are a business after all. The bit that infuriated me was the big bold caption that said “Because of you, we will save animals like him.”

Unfortunately for the animals, and regardless of how much money you give to Animals Australia, all they “may” be able to save other animals from, is being killed overseas.

What Animals Australia have conveniently forgotten to tell potential donors is that these animals are designated food animals, and will be killed regardless.

If it isn’t overseas, it will happen here.

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Logan Greyhounds. NIMBY Or Genuine Concern?

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12485233_sThe news of the green light being given to the proposed greyhound track at Underwood has seen a flurry of movement from a large number of animal protection groups.

There is a billboard sign on the M1 at Shailer Park protesting the “killing of greyhounds for gambling”, Animal Liberation Queensland has an e-petition registered with the Qld gov, and I am sure there will be a protest or two organised in the coming weeks/months.

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Why bother even protesting anymore?

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Hot on the heels of the announcement that Gold Coast City Council Mayor Tom Tate refused to allow a plan to hold a vote on the use of exotic animals in circuses on council land comes the announcement that Queensland will be the first state in Australia to hold Quarter Horse races.

Premier Newman made the announcement at the Houston Rodeo, which he visited as part of his trade tour of the US.

Whilst Premier Newman is of the belief that animal racing forms part of tourism to Queensland, which he has designated as one of the four pillars for growth, the promise of an investment of $60 Million dollars into the Mary Valley region would have helped seal the deal.

For those who may have forgotten, the Mary Valley region was the area that was resumed by the Beattie/Bligh regime for the failed Traveston Crossing Dam proposal.

The Australian Quarter Horse Racing Development Pty Ltd also appears to have reached an ‘agreement’ to purchase a 1,600 hectare property in the Mary Valley.

I wonder if we will see the usual 1% to make it right protests at these races?

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