MELBOURNE CUP
EUTHANISE. Put down. Put out of his misery. All these polite terms disguise the fact that the stallion Cliffsofmoreh died after suffering a fractured right shoulder during the Melbourne Cup.
This was a needless death, yet another example of animals suffering to amuse often intoxicated punters.
Before they've even finished maturing, these 500-kilogram animals are forced to race at breakneck speeds while being whipped and pushed past their limits, supported on ankles as small as those of humans. Cliffsofmoreh was the sixth horse to die due to the Melbourne Cup since 2013.
Two other horses were found to be lame after the race, another suffered lacerations after crashing into Cliffsofmoreh, and a fourth horse suffered an internal bleed.
Of course, horses die at lower-profile racing events: During the last racing year 119 were pronounced dead on Australian tracks. That’s one animal every three days. They die of cardiac arrest, haemorrhaging, ruptured aortas and broken necks, legs or pelvises. Thousands more horses bred for the industry do not make the grade and are abandoned, neglected or sent to slaughter.
Australians hate cruelty to animals. A race in which horses routinely die is fundamentally un-Australian.
While public holidays give Aussies a break, horses are breaking legs. It’s time for the nation to stop the race.
- D. Bellamy. Special Projects Coordinator, PETA Australia
CASH FOR CONTAINERS
THIS is a great initiative to stop rubbish going to landfill or into the ocean.
- W. Armstrong, via Facebook
THE people who litter now probably won't change but maybe there will be money for those with initiative.
- G. Lochel, via Facebook
SADLY, if the public used recycling bins correctly this wouldn’t be needed. The few spoil it for the many.
- G. Brown, via Facebook
I’M interested in where the items to be recycled go to and what happens to them. This is not about earning cash as you don’t even get your money back, it’s about not putting recyclables in landfill. Please write a story about how recycling is carried out?
- J. Cavaye, via Facebook
WILL we get a reduction of fees for our recycling bins seeing as 90 per cent of recycling we have to dispose of personally at our own cost?
- N. Owens-Place, via Facebook
THE increases in prices for products since this scheme was introduced, with companies jacking up prices, taints this initiative. What’s the reason for the price hike for products other than corporate greed.
- S. Thomsen, via Facebook
SO I now pay $5 more for a carton of beer, so I can get $3 back. Worst scheme ever.
- M. Haigh,via Facebook
JIMBOOMBA misses out again. We will have to drive too far to make it (recycling) worthwhile.
- M. McKinnon, via Facebook
ALTHOUGH this is a state government initiative Jimboomba will have an outlet. The problem is the recycling company listed on the state website won’t answer the phone or return councils call. The property listed is a house and we have not seen any applications or approvals. The council is trying to find out what’s going on.
– Cr T. Schwarz, via Facebook.
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