Replies to LegCo questions
LCQ8: Safeguarding and promoting animal welfare
Following is a question by the Hon Chan Hak-kan and a written reply by the
Secretary for Food and Health, Dr Ko Wing-man, in the Legislative Council today
(October 28):
Question:
Some members of the public have pointed out to me that the problem of animals
being abandoned has become increasingly serious, and therefore the authorities
should face up to the problem, such as stepping up law enforcement and promoting
the message of caring for animals. Under the existing arrangements, stray
animals caught by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD)
are kept in Animal Management Centres (AMCs) for at least four days pending
reclaim by their owners. Unclaimed animals are passed on to animal welfare
organisations for adoption or euthanised. In this connection, will the
Government inform this Council:
(1) of the number of animals received by AMCs in each of the past five years,
and the percentage of such animals being euthanised;
(2) whether AFCD will consider increasing the number of days for which animals
are kept in AMCs to facilitate owners to reclaim their animals; if AFCD will, of
the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(3) whether AFCD has studied the reasons why owners abandon their animals; given
that the Hong Kong Housing Authority prohibits public rental housing (PRH)
tenants from keeping dogs and other animals (except small household pets) in
their rental units, of the number of animals abandoned by PRH tenants in the
past five years;
(4) given that the Rabies Ordinance (Cap. 421) provides that a keeper of any
mammal who, without reasonable excuse, abandons that animal commits an offence,
of the number of prosecutions instituted by the authorities under the said
Ordinance in the past five years, and the penalties imposed on the convicted
persons by the court;
(5) whether the authorities have reviewed the effectiveness of the current
legislation on prohibiting animal abandonment, and whether they will consider
increasing the relevant penalties to enhance the deterrent effect;
(6) whether the authorities will, by making reference to the relevant practice
of Kumamoto City, Japan, consider setting a goal of "zero euthanisation of
animals"; if they will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(7) whether the authorities have implemented new measures in 2015-2016 to
strengthen public awareness of care for animals; if they have, of the details of
the new measures and the expenditure involved?
Reply:
President,
The Government has been striving to promote in the community a culture of care
for animals with a view to protecting animal welfare. To this end, the
Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) has established a
dedicated team to devise, implement and fortify public education and publicity
programmes for disseminating messages that help promote care for animals and
responsible pet ownership. In fact, the World Organisation for Animal Health
(OIE) has pointed out that the promotion of responsible pet ownership can
significantly reduce the number of stray dogs and the incidence of zoonotic
diseases. At the same time, we have been encouraging members of the public to
adopt stray animals and co-operating with animal welfare organisations on the
provision of animal adoption services.
The Government will continue to safeguard and promote animal welfare through the
above measures, with a view to reducing cases of abandoning animals.
My reply to the various parts of the question is as follows:
(1) Animals admitted into the Animal Management Centres (AMCs) of AFCD include
stray animals caught, animals handed over by owners and those received through
other means. The relevant figures including the number of animals euthanised in
each of the past five years are listed in the Annex.
(2) At present, stray animals caught in Hong Kong, including lost pets loitering
on the street, will be sent to the AMCs of AFCD for observation. For animals
with a microchip implanted, the AMCs will try to locate their owners based on
the information on the microchips. In general, these animals will stay in the
centres temporarily for about 10 to 20 days. Those without a microchip will stay
in the centres for at least four days allowing time for their owners to reclaim
them. In cases where the animals concerned, be they handed over by pet owners or
left unclaimed, are in good health and assessed by a veterinary surgeon as
having a gentle temperament and suitable for adoption, AFCD will arrange for
their transfer to animal welfare organisations for adoption by members of the
public.
AFCD has four AMCs across the territory and the utilisation of their animal
keeping facilities is constantly at a high level. Allowing all animals to stay
longer in the AMCs to allow more time for their owners to reclaim them would
significantly reduce the space for keeping other animals, including those
healthy and docile animals suitable for adoption. These animals could otherwise
be able to stay in the AMCs for a longer period of time to wait for the chance
of being adopted. Besides, a crowded environment in the AMCs might increase the
risk of disease transmission among animals. As such, we have no plan to change
the current arrangements.
(3) As mentioned above, animals admitted into the AMCs include stray animals
caught, animals handed over by owners and those received through other means.
AFCD does not have a breakdown of figures of animals being abandoned as a result
of prohibition against animal keeping in public rental housing estates, Home
Ownership Scheme estates or other housing estates.
(4) As stipulated in the Rabies Ordinance (Cap 421), a keeper of animal who,
without a reasonable excuse, abandons that animal commits an offence and is
liable to a maximum fine of $10,000 and imprisonment for up to six months.
However, even if AFCD manages to identify the owners of the abandoned animals,
the owners will usually defend themselves by claiming that the animals have gone
astray. In the absence of any witnesses or other evidence, it is always
difficult for the prosecution authority to establish a case for prosecution,
taking into account the chance of a successful conviction. The prosecution might
at best initiate proceedings against the dog owners concerned for failing to
control their dogs properly. In 2013, AFCD had successfully convicted an owner
under the Rabies Ordinance for animal abandonment without a reasonable excuse
and was fined $500.
The number of dog owners prosecuted and convicted in each of the past five years
for failing to control their dogs properly by allowing them to loiter in public
places is as follows:
Year No.
of successful convictions
----
-----------------------------
2010
365
2011
325
2012
355
2013
296
2014
331
(5) We consider that public education is most important for safeguarding and
promoting animal welfare. To this end, AFCD has established a dedicated team to
devise and implement education and publicity programmes for promoting
responsible pet ownership, including appealing to the public to carefully
consider whether they are able to take life-long care of the pet before
purchasing it, and not to abandon animals or surrender them to the relevant
authority for disposal without good cause. Through the above-mentioned education
and publicity programmes, the number of complaints received by AFCD about
nuisance caused by stray animals and that of stray animals caught in the past
five years have dropped by 38 per cent and 36 per cent respectively. We will
continue to implement and enhance these measures to achieve greater
effectiveness. The Government has no plan to increase the relevant penalties.
(6) A number of international animal organisations (including OIE) and the
global veterinary sector generally endorse that where various measures for
managing stray dogs have been implemented and yet the stray dogs caught remain
high in number or not fit for adoption, euthanasia would be an appropriate
solution in the circumstances. There are also cases where animals that are ill
or hurt need to be euthanised to relieve them of their suffering.
As to whether the Government would follow the practice of Kumamoto City, Japan
to set a goal of "zero euthanasia of animals", we believe there is no
one-size-fits-all solution as each society and city has its own unique situation
and considerations. Taking into account Hong Kong's own circumstances, if we do
not adopt euthanasia, we will have to keep the stray animals that have not been
adopted on a long-term basis. This may on the one hand have implications for
public finance and land resources, while on the other hand it may result in the
opposite outcome of encouraging abandonment of animals by irresponsible owners,
creating a vicious cycle.
As mentioned above, we consider public education most important for safeguarding
and promoting animal welfare. At the same time, we have been encouraging members
of the public to adopt stray animals. We also co-operate with animal welfare
organisations on the provision of animal adoption and free neutering services.
As a result of these measures, the number of animals required to be euthanised
has decreased by 40 per cent over the past five years. We will continue to
implement and enhance these measures to achieve greater effectiveness.
(7) AFCD has been promoting messages of responsible pet ownership and proper
care for animals through public education and publicity programmes, advising
against abandoning pets or surrendering them without good cause, and emphasising
the need for dog licensing, rabies vaccination and the benefits of neutering. In
2015-16, we have earmarked a provision of $5 million for the implementation of
the relevant education and publicity activities, including producing
announcements in the public interest on television and radio; placing
advertisements on different platforms such as cinemas, public transport, bus
stops, magazines and websites; organising promotional events jointly with
different animal welfare organisations in shopping arcades and outdoor venues;
conducting village and community campaigns, as well as holding talks in schools
and housing estates. AFCD has also revamped its website to further promote
respect for animals and provide information on proper care for animals.
Ends/Wednesday, October 28, 2015
Issued at HKT 15:02
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LCQ 8 Annex