Greyhound killed at Gawler Greyhound Club after breaking leg while racing

Starting boxes at the Gawler Greyhound Club racetrack. [Photograph: Matilda Duncan]

A greyhound was killed at the Gawler Greyhound Club racetrack over the weekend after breaking his leg while racing.

The dog’s death is the fifth this year at South Australian racetracks.

According to the steward’s report published by Greyhound Racing SA, a 2-year-old greyhound raced under the name of ‘King Kairo’ broke his foreleg on the first turn of a race at Gawler on Sunday, April 24.

King Kairo was trained by Ashley Furner and owned by a medical doctor based in Adelaide, Angeline Roxas, a long-time owner of racing greyhounds. Though broken bones in racing dogs are generally not fatal injuries, the pair made the decision to have King Kairo euthanised at the racetrack by Greyhound Racing SA’s on-track veterinarian, Dr. Michelle Hague.

Dr. Michelle Hague also works for the Adelaide Plains Veterinary Clinic in Two Wells, run by the former Greyhound Racing South Australia board member and nationally-known racing greyhound vet Dr. John Katakasi.

The race in which King Kairo sustained his broken leg was sponsored by Gawler Dry Cleaners, a business that has for years supported the Gawler Greyhound Club. Gawler Dry Cleaners have sponsored two previous races in which dogs sustained injuries that led to them being killed, in 2020 and 2019.

King Kairo (yellow vest) in the moments before he breaks his leg at Gawler on April 24, 2022. [Source: Greyhound Racing SA race footage]

At the same race meeting in Gawler, three other greyhounds were injured, including one with a serious muscle injury that led him to be suspended from racing for 60 days.

12 greyhounds have died at the Gawler track since January 2020, with 516 dogs injured there during the same time period.

Race footage shows King Kairo flinching and immediately losing speed, struggling to run on his broken leg as he falls behind the other dogs.

The race commentators make no mention of King Kairo’s obvious distress, choosing instead to describe the dog that strayed into his path as having “got into bother”.

King Kairo had been shunted around the country between 4 trainers in his two years of life, and was moved to South Australia’s slower racing circuit from Victoria after reportedly suffering an illness in Victoria late last year.

King Kairo had earned his owners $1,298 at the time of his death.

King Kairo racing at Angle Park earlier this month, in his second to last race before his death. [Source: Greyhound Racing SA race footage]

All five dogs killed at South Australian tracks this year have been euthanised after suffering leg fractures while negotiating track turns, as greyhound welfare advocates have repeatedly called for Greyhound Racing SA to move all racing to the straight racetrack at Murray Bridge before an eventual ban on greyhound racing.

“King Kairo is the latest victim of South Australia’s unsafe racetracks and a callous industry that cares little for dogs’ lives,” said Annie Hendley, SA director, Coalition for the Protection of Greyhounds (CPG).

“Five greyhounds have already been euthanased this year in SA because they suffered leg injuries and weren’t valued enough to be treated,” she said.

“All five suffered their injuries at track turns. Curved racetracks are deadly. If the industry was serious about animal welfare, they’d conduct all racing at the straight track at Murray Bridge,” she said.

49 racing dogs have died at Australian racetracks so far this year.

Former SA Premier Steven Marshall speaking at the Adelaide Cup last year alongside Matthew Corby and Corey Wingard. A dog died at the event. [Source: Greyhound Racing SA]

King Kairo’s final race can be viewed below (he is in the yellow vest with the number 5).