A former industry veterinarian supports activist calls for an immediate inquiry into the handling of Anthony Van Dyck after fatal Melbourne Cup incident.
The Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses (CPR), along with several animal activist groups and the Animal Justice Party, are calling for an immediate independent investigation into the handling of Anthony Van Dyck after his fetlock snapped in the Melbourne Cup on Tuesday. It is also calling for an independent necropsy report that will be made public, unlike necropsy reports currently conducted by the industry.
Former racing industry veterinarian of 50 years Dr Peter Kerkenezov is highly concerned about the treatment of Anthony Van Dyck, stating yesterday to CPR:
“It is apparent Anthony Van Dyck suffered a race induced catastrophic skeletal injury associated with extreme pain and suffering. The usual humane response would have been to euthanise the stallion, there and then, on the track, without inflicting any further pain transporting him to a new location. It is alleged this was not done despite the stallion being “unfit to load”. It is claimed Anthony Van Dyck was loaded and transported. The ethical nature of this decision needs investigating as a possible violation of animal welfare”
Dr Peter Kerkenezov BM
Equine Veterinarian (1971 – 2020)
Wednesday 4th November 2020
Dr Kerkenezov has offered to carry out the independent investigation. His full statement can be read here.
The footage of the race, available here, shows the fetlock bone fracture as is evidenced by the way the hoof flaps in the opposite direction to the normal movement of the hoof.
CPR Campaign Director Elio Celotto said “In instances like this catastrophic injury, the only humane option is to immediately euthanase the horse. The question is, why was the horse loaded onto a float and removed from the racetrack when the prognosis was clearly evident?”
Stewards vision of the race is missing from the industry website and the regular vision has been edited to zoom in on the winning horses, cutting out the shocking vision of Anthony Van Dyck that those watching live saw.
For a close-up on the kind of suffering Anthony Van Dyck would have experienced as his death was delayed, we can look to footage captured of Australian horse, Pure Luck/Voyage King, lasy year in Hong Kong whose hoof was also flapping in the opposite direction.
“The racing industry has again shown they simply cannot be trusted, and it must now explain why Anthony Van Dyck was taken off the racecourse instead of being immediately euthanased” he said
Mr Celotto added “Anthony Van Dyck would have been in excruciating pain. To not euthanase him on the racetrack is just another example of the racing industry seeking to avoid the grim site of a green screen being pulled to hide the death of yet another horse on Melbourne Cup day.”
“This is a trend we are seeing more and more, as horses who are taken off the racetrack to be killed do not need their death recorded in the stewards’ reports, thereby reducing the on-track death statistics. The death of Anthony Van Dyck was reported simply because the eyes of the world were watching and the news could not be hidden, despite attempts to do so” Mr Celotto said.
the government needs to step in and instruct the racing industry to put horses down on the spot when injuries like this occur
These examples are not surprising , they are the awakening of industry decisions have come back to bite the decision maker’s that oppted to put in place reccommdations for grazing animals to be locked up in suburban street’s in tiny boxes they can barley turn around in.
Blatantly it’s obvious that any animal taken out of it’s natural environment and practicably emersed into slavery for human profit and vanity as the Australian race horse, has now taken on this form of fate in the end by the waring down of DNA.
Experts within the industry insist that horses are just badly bred if they suffer similar fates and it has nothing to do with how the industry has turned into a churning machine for over breeding and supply, so much so that horses practicably from the statistics mentioned in the above article not race fit are leaving Australian shores without any guarantee of any animal welfare standards in other countries, prodominately because countries such as China model their industry to the Australian example.
If politicians are not going to ban the Industry then they need to reform it, their are people out their doing it humanely.
eld captive in small bans in tiny stall in suburban streets.
nd this industry is a perfect example of how bad desicions
As an animal lover l am absolutely appalled that in today’s world this barbaric way of life is still seen as okay!
These sentient animals are bred only for money, then destroyed like trash!
It’s time the green screen was raised over the entire animal racing industry and destroyed! Unlike athletes these animals have no say if they want to do this, you can sugar-coat it all you want but anyone gambling in animals being hit to run, then once they are no longer bringing in the dollars they are sent to be further beaten about their bodies and heads, verbally abused then killed not even mercifully!
The law of the land need to come down on every individual associated with the racing industry, heads should roll, and none of this slap on the wrist stuff!
You don’t kill athletes that retire, or injure themselves! What makes animals any different?!!
Not a single person gave a proverbial sh## about these horses on the day, it was all about the money! Every cent should be invested in rehoming these horses and the race stadiums burned to the ground!
No more breeding out these horses, desex them! The jockeys are aiding the violence, and every gambler has blood on their hands!
#HorseRacingKills #BanAnimalSports #ShutItDown #NoMore #AnimalAbuse #Shame #NupToHorseRacing #NupToGreyhoundRacing
Typical of Australian racing. The reputation of the racing industry put before the concern for the horse’s welfare or pain. This is happening everyday all over Australia, we only know about this darling boy because it was the Melbourne Cup and every camera in the nation was on it.
Thank you for this footage.
He was lame in the parade ring before he went down to the start. The on course vet should have stopped him going out but I guess the power of money over compassion won out again.
If this is true that the horses taken off the race track to be killed, do not need their death recorded in the stewards’ reports or appear on the track death statistics, it could become accepted behaviour. The crowd not having to watch the green curtains go up with the inevitable conclusion. The TV cameras instead showing the world the horse transported to vet care optimistically suggesting a possibility of recovery. The only one suffering in this rosy picture is the horse who should have been immediately put down, standing on three legs, in agony, possibly stuck in post race traffic for hours, on the way to his ‘must not upset the punters’ death.
ALL THE DIRTY SECRETS OF HORSE RACING SHOULD BE SHOWN TO ALL THAT ATTEND OR WATCH THIS BLOODY CRUEL SPORT! On the day as it happens! People are NOT shown. Show the agony of all the horses that do suffer terribly or die before, during and after a race, it’s Disgusting. All for $$$$$$ & entertainment. There is NOTHING glamorous about any Animal sport, all Animals in sport Bleed, Suffer & Die at Every Race or Event. How Entertaining 🙁 🙁