Victoria Records Nation’s Highest Greyhound Death Toll as Calls Grow for Urgent Inquiry
A devastating update from animal welfare groups reveals 30 Greyhounds have died and more than 1,200 have been injured on Victorian tracks so far this year, sparking urgent demands to end public funding for the industry.
Animal welfare groups and political parties have united in a call for an independent inquiry into Victorian Greyhound racing, following a disturbing surge in track deaths and injuries across the state.
Animals Australia, the Coalition for the Protection of Greyhounds (CPG), the Animal Justice Party, and the Victorian Greens have all expressed deep alarm at ongoing animal welfare failures within the state's racing industry.
The 2026 Toll: Victoria Leads National Casualties
According to recent racing data collated by CPG, 10 Greyhounds have died directly on Victorian tracks in 2026, with a further 20 dogs later dying after sustaining race-related injuries. Seven of these racing deaths occurred in May alone, marking it as the deadliest month so far this year.
CPG states this represents the highest recorded toll nationally, with more than 1,200 Greyhounds sustaining racing-related injuries in Victoria this year.
“An independent parliamentary inquiry into greyhound welfare, regulation and industry oversight in Victoria is urgently needed,” says CPG Victorian Director Steve Cook.
“The inquiry should examine concerns about track safety, euthanasia rates, rehoming shortfalls, participant offences, and a lack of transparency across the industry.”
A Growing Trajectory
The current numbers follow a devastating year for the industry in 2025. CPG data shows that last year, 46 dogs died on Victorian tracks, while another 48 later dying after sustaining serious race-related injuries. More than 3,000 greyhounds were reportedly injured over the same 12-month period.
CPG and partnering animal welfare groups argue that the growing death and injury toll demonstrates that existing regulation has completely failed, and that Victoria can no longer ignore mounting animal welfare concerns surrounding the sport.
Advocacy Groups and MPs Speak Out
“Dog racing is inherently cruel, and it must be phased out. Animals Australia remains deeply concerned about the systemic abuse, overbreeding, isolation, live baiting, unauthorised export, injuries, doping and deaths associated with it.
“GRV’s [Greyhound Racing Victoria] own reports show that injuries and fatalities have continued every year since the last reviews in 2015, and the alleged $3 million ‘emergency payment’ of Victorian taxpayer funds to keep GRV operational is the antithesis to what is needed to move away from this outdated and cruel practice.”
“Victoria could save half a billion dollars over ten years if the government stopped funding the continuation of Greyhound racing, which could instead be used for vital services that all Victorians need.
“An inquiry into Greyhound racing will allow us to examine this grubby industry’s ongoing failure to protect the animals it profits from. Anything less from the Allan government is continued complicity in cruelty."
“It is despicable that the Labor Government continues to support Greyhound racing, despite the alarming number of greyhound deaths on and off the track. Greyhound racing should have no place in our state and the Victorian Greens call for it to be banned permanently.”
“Victoria leads the country in racing deaths and there has to be an urgent inquiry. Public funding for Greyhound racing must also end. The Australian Greyhound racing industry has shown it cannot reform and there have been systemic failures in animal welfare standards.
This is why it is being phased out in Tasmania and there have been inquiries and reviews in SA, WA, NSW, and Queensland.”
More Information
Figures cited are current to May 2026. Readers interested in following the campaign or learning more about the advocacy groups involved can visit the Coalition for the Protection of Greyhounds (CPG) and Animals Australia.
Shattering Stereotypes: Meet Frankie, Toby and Sadie
While track statistics paint a grim picture, stories from adoptive families reveal a completely different side to these "long dogs." While every individual dog requires proper assessment, Greyhounds are successfully shattering the misconception that they cannot live alongside other household animals.
Take Frankie from NSW, a gentle rescue Greyhound who peacefully shares his home with a complete menagerie, including cats, rabbits, and a companion rainbow lorikeet. His owner recalls once finding Frankie completely frozen in place, deeply reluctant to move simply because a rescue kitten had nestled warm and fast asleep against his belly.
Frankie isn't an isolated case, either. His fellow housemate Greyhounds, Toby and Sadie, also live in perfect harmony with the same multi-species family, routinely hanging out on the couch with birds like chickens, cockatiels, and their favourite lorikeet.
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| Toby hangs out with a lorikeet on the couch (left); Frankie loves a bunny cuddle (right) |
How to Help: Foster or Adopt a Greyhound
With June marking National Foster a Pet Month, there is no better time to look towards a brighter future for these incredible animals. If you are ready to open your heart and home to a Greyhound, please consider adopting, fostering, or donating through a local independent rescue organisation:
