Microkhan by Brendan I. Koerner

Truly Lilliputian Jockeys

April 20th, 2009 · 7 Comments

monkeyongreyhound1To paraphrase a great eight-fingered, three-haired philosopher, there are few things in life that can’t be improved by the addition of a monkey. Such is the case with greyhound racing, an on-the-ropes pastime that briefly experimented with monkey jockeys during the Depression. According to a recent Australian reminiscence, things went awry due to the pint-sized simians’ competitive nature:

Alas, monkey racing was a short-lived phenomenon in Sydney, shut down for the pocket jockey’s own protection. So keen were they to claim a winning purse of peanuts, the monkeys began to gravely injure each other in the quest for victory.

More photos here and here. Some race fans have proposed reviving the monkey jockeys as a way to stimulate interest in the fading greyhound industry. If that actually came to pass, the Humane Society would likely be none too amused.

(Via Ell, one of Microkhan’s beloved readers Down Under.)

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