Catherine S. Chan
"Greyhound Racing is Like Roller-Skating": Dogs, Gambling, and Animal Rights in 20th Century Macau
Abstract: Dog racing was one of the attractions that helped establish Macau’s status as the so-called “Monte Carlo of the orient.” This study uses the case of Macau’s canidrome to shed light on the cultural agency that humans rendered to greyhound dogs as objects of entertainment and vice. It also probes the near absence of discussions on animal welfare in Macanese society and argues that the various legal and social developments regarding animal cruelty and welfare in the post-war period were directed at securing human privileges. From a historical approach, this study examines a century of newspaper coverage regarding the Macau canidrome tracks to not only reveal the slow progress if the city’s animal activism in the city, but also suggest that more focus needs to be given in uprooting the historical perception of dogs as objects first, and living creatures after, from human culture and subconsciousness.
Keywords: Animal Welfare, Dog Racing, Gambling City, Macau
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