A greyhound suffered a fall and was injured during racing at Launceston last night, 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 Rojo Coco had “found some trouble and is out of play”.
The commentator continued calling as the other dogs raced on 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.
A Tasracing spokesperson said media reports that Rojo Coco suffered a serious injury were “false and misleading.”
The spokesperson said the greyhound did fall during the race, resulting in a small graze and a minor nosebleed and was attended to immediately by the on-track veterinarian.
Tasracing said it had spoken to the trainer today and viewed footage of Rojo Coco playing happily in his outdoor enclosure.
Welfare Alliance for Greyhounds Tasmania spokesperson Anne Boxhall said the incident added to a growing toll on Tasmanian tracks.
“Before tonight 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”, while Labor continue to oppose the ban.
Labor leader Josh Willie, speaking at a press conference in northern Tasmania today after last night’s incident, said his party’s position had not changed.
“We support the three codes of racing, just like the Labor Party does in every other state,” he said.
“It’s Premier Rockliff who changed his position.”
Willie said animal welfare was important and there needed to be “continuous improvement” but accused the premier of politicising the industry.
“You had the leader of our state making written commitments to people, to industries, to people’s livelihoods and then he changed his position after the election to retain power because he thought his job was more important than other people,” he said.
Asked whether 19 deaths or serious injuries was an acceptable standard, Willie said the responsibility sat with the government.
“If Premier Rockliff wants to shut down the industry after he promised not to at the last election, he needs to convince the upper house,” he said.
“We have two of fourteen votes. The Labor Party isn’t blocking anything.”
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.
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.
