The greyhounds rescued in China arrive in Malpensa

Party atmosphere in Malpensa, on Sunday 10^th December, for the arrival in Italy of the first three greyhounds rescued from the meat market in China. The three greyhounds arrived today in Malpensa airport, after a tiring flight and an almost three hours delay due to the bad weather, are called King, Prince, and Phoebe. The arrival of the greyhounds was possible thank to Pet Levrieri Onlus, an association which focuses on giving up for adoption, greyhounds, lurchers, and galgos, that have been rescued from racing exploitation and hunting in countries such as Ireland and Spain.

“Pet Levrieri,” explain the activists ,”collaborates with all the associations which, at a national and international level, work together to put a stop to dog racing for profit and to hunting with greyhounds, to create a movement of civil disapproval and to obtain laws that protect and identify the greyhounds as pets in the countries from where they came from.”

“Pet Levrieri is, in addition, together with the English charity Candy Cane Rescue both in the fight against Irish greyhounds exportation from Europe to South-east Asia and in terms of information and awareness and civil and political initiatives, as well as of the collaboration with the Chinese local activism against greyhound exploitation, also finding home to other Chinese greyhounds rescued.”

King and Prince were rescued by Chinese activists while, on a truck full of other dogs and in extremely precarious conditions, were being brought to slaughter. Phoebe was bred in China and exploited until she was almost dead; when she was considered no longer useful she was then sold and sent to the meat market.

“In China,” report the activists, “the greyhounds, imported from Australia and Ireland, are being exploited and mistreated in street racing, hunting and reproduction, used as tourist attractions at the Shangai Wild Animal Park and, when they are no longer profitable, they are often suppressed in such a bloody manner or sold, indeed, for the meat market.”

“What happens in China is just one of the faces, among the worst together with the one of the Canidrome of Macau, of Pakistan and Vietnam, of the cruelty that is intrinsic of the greyhound industry, the greyhound racing, which is still legal and common in eight countries in the world: The United States, Australia, Mexico, United Kingdom, Ireland, China (Macau), New Zealand, and Vietnam, with almost 150 racetracks distributed around the world.”