Mass.
Voters To Decide Fate on Greyhound Racing
BOSTON,
MA -- Voters in Massachusetts will decide the fate of greyhound
racing in the state on Tuesday, November 7.
Opponents
of greyhound racing have put on the 2000 ballot a question
that could force the state's two tracks to close by June 1,
2001 and cause more than 500 people to lose their jobs.
Sponsors
of the initiative, a group called Grey 2K, accusses the greyhound
industry as inhumane to the dogs, appalling kennel conditions
and that thousands of dogs are killed when they stop earning
money for the owners.
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Track
owners deny such accusations citing that there are no violations
to the animal welfare regulations and they are regulated and
are closely watched by state and local police and the Massachusetts
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MSPCA) as
well as the American Veterinary Medical Association.
The
Massachusetts Chapter of the American Greyhound Council reports
that state revenues from greyhound racing exceed $400 million
annually. Massachusetts has two greyhound racing tracks, Wonderland
Greyhound Park, in Revere, and Raynham-Taunton Greyhound
Park, in
Taunton.
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