Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau (IACM) Administrative Committee member Ung Sau Hong said Thursday that the 533 greyhounds left behind by the owners of the now-defunct Canidrome are in good health, and that the conditions of the kennel facilities are improving.
Ung made the comments to reporters after the IACM arranged a media visit to the greyhounds in the kennels of the former racetrack in Fai Chi Kei yesterday.
Ung told reporters that around 40 sick greyhounds are receiving treatment, for diseases including skin conditions, arthritis and periodontal diseases.
Regarding this week’s complaint by well-known animal rights activist Tinna “Zoe” Tang to the Commission Against Corruption (CCAC) about the greyhounds’ conditions and their planned relocation, Ung said it was “inconvenient” to comment on the matter at the moment, adding that the IACM will cooperate with the CCAC in the investigation resulting from Tang’s complaint.
Ung also said that the IACM has added more manpower to improve the kennels’ hygiene conditions and also increased the number of fans, apart from fixing the air-conditioning, She said that more than 30 “volunteers” were taking care of the greyhounds on daily basis.
Ung pointed out that greyhounds could only be adopted when they are in good health and after they have been neutered.
Ung further pointed out that there was no such rule – as claimed by Tang and other activists – that all the greyhounds must be neutered within 60 days, adding that the surgery must meet the relevant requirements before proceeding, especially the state of each greyhound’s health.
The greyhound racetrack closed for good on July 20, after over six decades.
The government had told the Macau (Yat Yuen) Canidrome Co. Ltd. two years ago that its concession would not be renewed.
The company is headed by gaming executive-cum-lawmaker Angela Leong On Kei, the fourth wife of nonagenarian retired casino mogul Stanley Ho Hung Sun.
