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For immediate release:
October 8, 2021
Contact:
David Pearl 202-483-7382
Tasmania, Australia – PETA Australia today filed a criminal case with the Tasmanian Magistrates Court alleging that whipping horses at Tasmanian racecourses violates state animal welfare laws. In some Australian states, individuals can be convicted of violating certain criminal laws.
The use of whips in purebred racing in Australia is essentially self-regulated by the industry. Australian horse racing rules allow jockeys to hit horses up to five times in the last 100 meters of the race and an unlimited number of times on the last stretch. It is a crime under Tasmania’s animal welfare law to kill an animal and inflict unnecessary and unnecessary pain or suffering on an animal. The litigation, initiated by PETA Australia, will review the legality of whipping horses at racetracks on both fronts.
PETA Australia believes that hitting a horse at the racetrack is a criminal offense in many Australian states and territories, says PETA Senior Vice President Katy Guillermo. “But Track Down Under doesn’t voluntarily restrict whipping like so many in the US.”
Earlier this year, New Jersey banned the whip to encourage purebred animals to speed up, and California and Kentucky restricted the use of the whip. In 1982, Norway banned the use of a whip, except for safety reasons, and in 2009 completely banned the use of a whip for horses 3 years and older.
Over a year ago, PETA Australia and the Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses (CPR) met with animal welfare manager Tasracing, Tasmania’s horse racing authority, to raise concerns about the use of whips, noting that flogging violates the state’s anti-cruelty. charter, and offer support to help make changes. PETA Australia and other animal protection groups – World Animal Protection, CPR and Animal Liberation NSW – have signed a letter to Tasracing requesting a meeting to discuss concerns and see if there is a way forward. PETA Australia’s attorney then met in person with Tasracing CEO Paul Ericsson, but Ericsson pulled out of further engagement and told PETA Australia that Tasracing had no plans to look into banning or limiting the whip. Faced with ongoing widespread violations of social security laws, PETA Australia decided to pursue private prosecution.
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