The TV wildlife presenter hailed Greens MSP Mark Ruskell’s bid to outlaw dog tracks as a ‘tremendous result for animal welfare’.
TV star Chris Packham says dog tracks are ‘misery’ for greyhounds(Image: Channel 4)
TV star Chris Packham has thrown his weight behind UK-first plans to outlaw greyhound racing in Scotland.
Chris, host of BBC’s Springwatch and The Really Wild Show, hailed Greens’ MSP Mark Ruskell’s Bill to ban dog tracks as a “tremendous result for animal welfare”.
It comes ahead of a final Holyrood vote, expected later this month, on Ruskell’s Prohibition of Greyhound Racing (Scotland) Bill.
If passed, it will make it an offence to race greyhounds on tracks north of the Border.
And Packham said he hoped the rest of the UK would soon follow.
Greyhound racing set for ban in Scotland(Image: Getty)
The nature campaigner said: “A ban would be a tremendous result for animal welfare, for dogs and for Scotland. Times need to change and leaving animal cruelty in the past is an imperative.
“Greyhound racing with all of its associated misery has no place in 21st-century Britain. Wales and England must follow this lead. Hats off to Mark Ruskell and all those who have got us to this point.”
Last year, the Sunday Mail highlighted the mid-Scotland and Fife MSP’s long-running campaign to end the sport – inspired by rescuing an abandoned racing greyhound with a broken leg called Bert.
With dogs racing up to 40mph in a pack around curved tracks, there are often collisions causing broken legs or even broken necks. When they can no longer race, the dogs are often abandoned.
Data from 2023 showed 109 greyhounds died trackside in the UK, and 4238 dogs were injured.
Scottish Green MSP Mark Ruskell with former racing greyhounds outside the Scottish Parliament(Image: Jane Barlow/PA Wire)
Ruskell told the Sunday Mail: “I’m delighted to have the support of Chris Packham, who has already done so much to advance the cause of animal welfare.
“Greyhounds are wonderful animals and should not be forced to run at such speed and at so much risk of injury or death. Every greyhound deserves a happy and healthy life.
“With the support of Chris and so many people across Scotland we can finally end this cruel gambling-led sport for good.”
Thornton Stadium in Fife is now Scotland’s last greyhound racing track – but racing operations were suspended indefinitely last year amid the ban threat.
Ruskell’s Bill would mark the end for Thornton, 90 years on from when it first opened its doors in 1936.
Dog tracks boomed in popularity in the post-war era, with the Fife track’s core audience made up of labourers from nearby coal mines and dockyards.
It follows the closure of Shawfield Stadium in Rutherglen in 2020.
The RSPCA said only nine countries in the world still allow commercial greyhound racing, including all four UK home nations.
Wales and New Zealand have also committed to banning the sport.
The UK Government said in October it has no plans to ban dog racing in England, despite pressure from campaigners.
There are still 17 licensed stadiums south of the Border supporting an estimated 5000 jobs.