Macau gaming regulator, the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ), has granted the operators of the shuttered Canidrome dog racing track, Macao (Yut Yuen) Canidrome Co Ltd, a 60-day extension to relocate 533 former racing greyhounds.
The extension follows a joint announcement last Friday by Macau (Yat Yuen) Canidrome Co Ltd and animal welfare organization Anima regarding plans by Yat Yuen to rent a series of properties in Sac On in Taipa in which to house the dogs until they can be rehomed.
In a Tuesday statement, the DICJ said it has “considered the latest proposal feasible in terms of ensuring animal welfare in accordance with the Animal Protection Law. The Bureau’s decision to approve the deadline extension took into account the need to revamp the private properties included in the plan, before the greyhound dogs could be rehomed there.
“The decision additionally took into consideration a long-term plan to shelter the concerned animals, previously proposed by the company and an animal welfare group. Such plan proposes the rezoning of a private plot in Pac On in order for the land to be used for a dog shelter for animals waiting to be rehomed. Such plan would involve a zoning change that must be approved by the relevant authorities.”
Under the terms of the deadline extension, Yat Yuen must now relocate the greyhounds to the new facility by 29 September 2018. Failure to comply could see fines of up to MOP$53 million imposed.
Despite granting the extension, the Macau government revealed that it has yet to receive any application request for a zoning change for the Pac On site.
The recent closure of the Canidrome follows an ultimatum from the government in 2016 that the facility must either shut down or relocate by 20 July 2018 and that it needed to vastly improve its animal welfare standards should it choose to continue operations at a new location. Macau (Yat Yuen) Canidrome Co Ltd’s owner, SJM Co-Chairman and Executive Director Angela Leong, confirmed in January this year that the venue would close down permanently.
