Miriam Margolyes Speaks Out Against ‘Nasty’ Greyhound Racing

Miriam Margolyes Speaks Out Against ‘Nasty’ Greyhound Racing

Oxford – With her trademark candour, acting legend and Oxford native Miriam Margolyes has backed PETA’s campaign urging Oxford Stadium not to reopen for greyhound racing, issuing the following statement:

I have many fond memories of growing up in Oxford, but they don’t involve watching gentle and sociable greyhounds run around a track for punters. This isn’t sport – it’s animal abuse. I was disgusted to learn from my friends at PETA that dogs used for racing are often doped and many of them die from the injuries they sustain. Greyhound racing is a nasty business that has no place at Oxford Stadium – or anywhere in the UK – except as a distant memory. I hope anyone who loves dogs as much as I do will join me in urging Oxford City Council to leave dog racing in the past by encouraging the stadium to host sports that humans choose to take part in.

PETA notes that many puppies bred for greyhound racing are killed in the name of “selective breeding” before they ever touch a racetrack. Those who do qualify to become racers are typically kept caged and muzzled and suffer from sores and parasites. Once their racing days are over, many are abandoned or killed. A recent report released by the Greyhound Board of Great Britain revealed that more than 400 racing greyhounds died or were euthanised in 2020, despite COVID-19 restrictions that drastically reduced the number of races. Gaps in official records also suggest thousands of dogs “disappear” every year – these animals are presumed dead.

To date, nearly 20,000 concerned residents and PETA supporters have taken action by urging Oxford City Council to intervene. The group hopes the stadium will instead host sports involving humans. For example, British Cycling has assessed the facility and approved its suitability for development into a velodrome, something that willing participants, including future Oxford Olympians, could enjoy.

PETA – whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way” – opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETA.org.uk or follow the group on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

Contact:

Jennifer White +44 (0) 20 7837 6327; [email protected]

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