A greyhound suffered a serious injury during racing at Launceston overnight, prompting renewed calls from animal welfare advocates to end the sport in Tasmania.
The first race of the evening on Thursday had to be abandoned after a greyhound fell during the 515-metre event.
Live footage of the incident was broadcast by Tasracing, but the state-owned company wiped the replay video from its platforms immediately after the race.
However a copy of the footage was obtained by Pulse, which showed the greyhound rolling over at high speed as the other dogs continued on.
Broadcast commentary captured the moment the fall occurred, with the caller saying greyhound #7 Rojo Coco had “found some trouble and is out of play”.
The commentator brushed off the incident and continued calling as the other dogs continued racing for 17 seconds until the race was cancelled.
“The race has been called off here, so a no-race has been called here after race number one,” the commentator said.
It is not yet clear how badly the dog was hurt or whether it had to be put down.
The Welfare Alliance for Greyhounds Tasmania described the fall as “excruciatingly painful, if not fatal.”
Alliance spokesperson Anne Boxhall said the incident added to a growing toll on Tasmanian tracks.
“There had already been 19 deaths or serious injuries on Tasmania’s greyhound racing tracks this year,” she said.
“Launceston is now Tasmania’s ‘track of death’ with more fatalities and serious incidents recorded here than anywhere else.”
“Our community leaders need to do the right thing, support a sensible phase-out of the industry and join with us in saying enough is enough.”
The incident comes as debate over the future of greyhound racing in Tasmania intensifies.
Treasury recently told a parliamentary committee that the economic impact of ending the industry would be “manageable.”
Racing Minister Roger Jaensch has said the sport “is inherently risky and dangerous to the wellbeing and the lives of the animals involved.”
The government’s phase-out bill was pulled from the upper house in April after it failed to secure enough support, with a June 30, 2029 deadline for an orderly transition still the target.
Labor has opposed the phase-out, with leader Josh Willie accusing Premier Jeremy Rockliff of “throwing people under the bus” and confirming his party still backs all three racing codes.
Tasracing has said it is working to strengthen welfare standards, releasing a draft Code of Practice for Racing Greyhound Welfare in May.
Breeding data shows 164 greyhound pups were born in the 2025-26 financial year, up from 155 the year before despite the looming end to the industry.
