THE BODY which oversees greyhound racing in Ireland has condemned the discovery of an open mass grave for racing greyhounds in Co Limerick – and says it has already identified some of the dogs abandoned there.

In a statement provided to TheJournal.ie, Bord na gCon said it “utterly condemned” the illegal disposal of greyhounds, and that investigations into how the greyhounds died had begun.

The mass grave, containing the remains of at least seven dogs, was discovered by a walker in a disused quarry in south-east Limerick over the weekend.

The dogs had not been buried, and were in various stages of decomposition.

Bord na gCon said it could also confirm that some of the dogs – which are identified as racing greyhounds by the use of mandatory tattoos on their ears – had already been identified, and that their registered owners would now be questioned by Gardaí.

The board’s welfare officer Barry Coleman said it could give “very strong assurances to the public that the perpetrators of this awful act will be pursued and we ensure they will face the full rigours of the law”.

“With the recently passed Greyhound Welfare Bill, we now have greater power to tackle cruel acts of this nature and we intend to exercise the full extent of the law following the recent discovery in Limerick.”

The board encourages owners of retired racing greyhounds to keep them as pets, and has a project in place where retired racers are rehoused in other homes in Ireland as well as in the UK and in continental Europe.

Pictures of the mass grave – which contain some graphic imagery – can be found at the Greyhound Rescue Association of Ireland website.