A number of greyhound remains were found at Roseberry Bog, Newbridge, Co. Kildare last week, according to the Irish Council Against Blood Sports.
The council has called on the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) and the Gardaí to investigate the discovery.
Remains including skulls, bones and skeletons were dumped at a spot just 2km from Newbridge Greyhound Stadium, the council said.
The Irish Council Against Blood Sports highlighted that this is not the first time that greyhound remains have been found dumped in the countryside:
“These dumped greyhounds are the victims of the cruel greyhound racing industry that sees thousands of greyhounds abandoned and killed each year.”
In 2012, the remains of six greyhounds were found at a disused dump in Ballyagran, Co. Limerick, after having been shot in the head. In 2005, the mutilated remains of three greyhounds were found in a river in Dungarvan, Co. Waterford, the council said.
Thousands of greyhounds are killed every year because they are “not fast enough”, campaign director at the Irish Council Against Blood Sports, Aideen Yourell said.
A previous report revealed that around 6,000 greyhounds are killed every year “because they don’t make the grade”. An estimated total of 17,962 greyhounds were culled in 2013, 2014 and 2015, she said.
“They were killed for failure to produce qualifying times, failure to produce desired entry level times, and for an unacceptable decline in performance,” according to Yourell.
However, greyhounds are also dying at tracks, as Greyhound Racing Ireland statistics show that at races in the past nine years, at least 2,881 greyhounds suffered injuries and 983 died or were killed, she added.
The Irish Council Against Blood Sports urged the government to stop grants that support racing as since 2001, Greyhound Racing Ireland has received €309 million in funding, including €17.6 million for 2022, according to the council.