Racing and Gaming WA says the horrific practice of live baiting is dead in WA, after Four Corners revealed on Monday night systematic and widespread illegal blooding in the greyhound industry in the eastern states.
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The ABC current affairs program showed footage of piglets, possums and rabbits strapped down on mechanical lures, then hurled around a track several times before being chased down by dogs and in some cases torn apart.
Live baiting has been banned in Australia for years but rumours were rife in the industry that some trainers were using the method to give dogs an edge before racing.
Racing and Gaming WA general manager of racing integrity, Denis Borovica, told Radio 6PR there had never been any complaints about live baiting in WA.
"It was certainly very disturbing footage and we can understand why people would want to be asking questions this morning, because no one can condone or say that anything that was seen last night is acceptable to any industry," he said.
"We haven't had any direct complaints or indirect complaints in relation to that footage we all watched last night, which was taken on the eastern seaboard and didn't involve and Western Australian tracks.
"Our industry is a lot smaller than it is in the eastern states and we have three tracks where predominantly the training takes place.
"And they are well regulated venues."
Mr Borovica said WA Racing and Gaming didn't allow live or dead animals anywhere near training tracks.
He said the WA industry was a long way from what was shown on Four Corners.
"We have our three tracks in Western Australia and they are regulated by us," he said.
"The clubs run the race meeting but we are - for a better term - the umpire or policeman over those things.
"We have a person present any time that lure is spinning around the tracks.
"There are very few private facilities here and we know where they are and we monitor those activities."
Mr Borovica said the industry in WA was miniscule compared to over east.
"We don't have the scale of industry that has a rearing or breaking or breeding industry as they do in the eastern states," he said.
"We breed some 500 greyhounds in a year compared to many thousands in the eastern states."
He said if the public had any knowledge of live baiting it should contact the RSPCA.
"We have a record of being very tough and very hard in relation to integrity in Western Australia and I think that's a reputation that precedes us in the industry throughout Australia," he said.
Mr Borovica said the trainers captured on camera using live animals for training should be banned from the industry for life.
"I think that's what the expectation is and I don't think it's an unreasonable expectation, in light of what we saw," he said.
Animals Australia boss Lyn White said she was worried the practice of live baiting was widespread in the industry across Australia and feared the scope of the problem could widen.
