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Hong Kong animal welfare laws under fire after spate of dog attacks
Authorities said they would review whether penalties for pet abandonment should be strengthened and submit proposals to the Legislative Council by year end.
Hong Kong’s current animal welfare framework is being criticized by legal experts as no longer adequate to handle problems including pet abandonment and stray dogs, following a series of recent dog attacks, South China Morning Post reported.
The comments also echoed remarks from Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan, who said authorities would examine whether existing penalties for pet abandonment should be tightened and bring recommendations to the Legislative Council by the end of the year.
The scrutiny centers on the Protection of Cruelty to Animals Ordinance and the Dangerous Dogs Regulations, which have faced intense public attention after incidents including the suspected fatal mauling of a woman by stray dogs in Yuen Long last Saturday.
According to SCMP, Kim McCoy, a practising barrister and founder of the Hong Kong Animal Law and Protection Organisation, said the cruelty-prevention ordinance is still mainly oriented around banning acts of cruelty rather than addressing the broader welfare issues now driving public concern.