Two wild boars found caught in traps in a single day.
Two wild boars found caught in traps in a single day.

Recently, there have been reports of two wild boars having been caught in animal traps in Hong Kong, with both incidents happening on the same day. One of the wild boars caught was unfortunately beaten to death, with witnesses telling Police that she encountered two men beating the squealing pig with an unidentified hard object.

These incidents come after an incident in late 2020 where a wild boar was found decapitated, its belly cut open and dumped in a hillside stream.

Luckily in Hong Kong, we have organisations such as the Hong Kong Wild Boar Concern Group which continue to advocate for better protection for these wild animals as well as educating the public, hoping to break the stereotyped impression that people have of wild boars.

Courtesy of Felix Tsang

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Kim McCoyWild boar, Wild pig, Traps, Animal Traps, Hunting animals, Wild Animal Protection OrdinanceComment
Amendment to UK’s Environmental Bill to preserve hedgehogs.
Amendment to UK’s Environmental Bill to preserve hedgehogs.

Former Transport Secretary of the United Kingdom, Chris Grayling has tabled an amendment to the Environmental Bill to give hedgehogs the status of ‘protected animals’ to preserve their declining numbers in the United Kingdom.

The amendment seeks to add hedgehogs to the list of protected animals under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, giving it the same level of protection as bats, badgers and otters.

Courtesy of Nicole Liang.

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Kim McCoyHedgehog, Environmental Bill, Protected species, WildlifeComment
Case Summary: HKSAR v Shao Rong Qiang (CACC79 of 2020)
Case Summary: HKSAR v Shao Rong Qiang (CACC79 of 2020)

HKSAR v Shao Rong Qiang (unrep. CACC 79/2020, 18 December 2020).

The Hong Kong Court of Appeal recently heard an appeal against sentence for the importation of Appendix II species contrary to sections 11(1) and (3) of the Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance, Cap 586. The appellant had imported 224 Saiga antelope horns weighing 49.9kg and had an estimated market price between HK$719,000 to HK$1,188,000

The appellant was sentenced by the District Court Judge to 20 months’ imprisonment, having adopted a starting point of 30 months’ imprisonment. He appealed against the sentence on the grounds that the sentence imposed was manifestly excessive.

Find out more about how the Court of Appeal dealt with the appellant’s sentence appeal; the stance the Court took in respect of endangered species and sentencing factors to be considered when sentencing offenders under Cap 586. Moreover, learn more about the Saiga Antelope and read our commentary on Cap 586 and what should be done in order to deter wildlife traffickers from using Hong Kong as a haven for trading illegal wildlife.

Courtesy of Kelly Ma.

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BlogKim McCoySaiga Antelope, Wildlife crime, Wildlife trade, Illegal wildlife trade, CITES, Appeal against sentence, SentencingComment
Australian consumers encouraged to “give flake a break.”
Australian consumers encouraged to “give flake a break.”

The Australian Marine Conservation Society is urging consumers to stop the consumption of flake – a common term used for shark meat. Loopholes in Australia’s national environmental laws unfortunately allows for the ongoing commercial harvest of endangered sharks.

Under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 marine species that are listed as vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered are classified as “no take” species - representing species that cannot be sold or exported. However, there are eight marine species that are listed as “conservation dependent” meaning that they can still be commercially harvested.

Courtesy of Arial Ng.

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Kim McCoyShark, Shark conservation, Flake, Environment, Endangered SpeciesComment
Hong Kong makes first major maritime smuggling bust for 2021.
Hong Kong makes first major maritime smuggling bust for 2021.

Hong Kong Customs and Excise have made their first major maritime smuggling bust for 2021, with more than HK$4 million worth of illicit wildlife products being seized. According to authorities, the contraband was destined for Shekou, Guangdong, and included dried shark fins and seahorses, likely to be derived from endangered species.

Courtesy of Marco Poon

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Kim McCoyShark, Shark Fin, Say No To Shark Fin, Endangered Species, Seahorses, Illegal Wildlife Trade, Illegal WildlifeComment
Proposed ban on keeping pet primates in UK.
Proposed ban on keeping pet primates in UK.

The UK Government has recently announced that people in England could be banned from keeping monkeys and other primates as pets. Up to 5,000 primates are currently living outside licensed zoos in the UK, with animal welfare minister Lord Goldsmith saying many of them are in “misery” due to a lack of space and stimulation.

Under the plans, those who keep them without a zoo licence would need to obtain a new specialist private primate keeper licence to ensure they are meeting zoo-level welfare standards.

Courtesy of Amelia Wang.

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Kim McCoyPrimate, Pets, Pet Shops, Code of PracticeComment
Traces of a potential fifth species of Asian pangolin found.
Traces of a potential fifth species of Asian pangolin found.

To combat wildlife-related crimes on an international scale, DNA forensics techniques have been used to identify which species have been the victim of illegal trafficking activities. Using DNA extracts from two batches of pangolin scales seized by the Hong Kong Customs, a group of scientists from the Kadoorie Farm conducted a phylogenetic analysis in 2015 to identify the species and geographic origins of the seized pangolin scales.

Some five years later in October 2020, a group of scientists from Germany and China took up the study and concluded that there might in fact be a fifth Asian pangolin species.

Courtesy of Louis Cheung

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Kim McCoyPangolin, Pangolin Scales, DNA, Kadoorie FarmComment
European Bison recovering but 31 species declared extinct by the IUCN Red List.
European Bison recovering but 31 species declared extinct by the IUCN Red List.

According to latest update of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)’s Red List of Threatened Species on 10 December 2020, the European bison (Bison bonasus) alongside 25 other species are making a recovery; whilst 31 species have been declared extinct, making a total of 902 species declared as extinct in 2020.

Courtesy of Nicole Liang.

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Kim McCoyEndangered Species, IUCN Red LIst
Pangolin smugglers jailed for trafficking 23 tonnes of scales.
Pangolin smugglers jailed for trafficking 23 tonnes of scales.

On 5 January 2021, a Court in east Zhejiang Province sentenced 17 people to imprisonment for smuggling more than 23 tonnes of pangolin scales into the country.

The scales, worth about US$27.9 million (HK$216 million), were smuggled by the gang from Nigeria in three batches in 2018 and 2019, and would account for the death of around 50,000 pangolins.

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Kim McCoyPangolin, Pangolin Scales, Wildlife Crime, Wildlife Trafficking, Traditional Chinese MedicineComment
Life imprisonment for ivory smuggling ringleaders.
Life imprisonment for ivory smuggling ringleaders.

A Court in Guangzhou handed long prison terms to 17 people - including life imprisonment for the two ringleaders - for running China’s biggest ivory smuggling ring, involving over 20 tonnes of ivory worth more than 1 billion yuan (HK$1.19 billion) from West Africa into Mainland China.

Despite Hong Kong’s legislation and regulation of the illegal ivory trade, enforcement and relevant sentencing tariffs for the illegal sale of protected wildlife products remain lenient. As long as ivory is perceived to be a symbol to convey wealth and status, demand will continue and criminals will eventually outsmart preventative strategies. It is therefore important that preventative strategies work in parallel with educational campaigns to convey the message the ivory should not be perceived as a status symbol.

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Kim McCoyAnimal Law, China, Hong KongComment
Teddy’s Law: Banning the Practice of declawing cats.
Teddy’s Law: Banning the Practice of declawing cats.

The Ontario SPCA and Humane Society have supported a bill introduced by Davenport MPP Marit Stiles that would put an end to the inhumane practice of declawing cats in Ontario, a procedure that can cause a lifetime of pain for cats. Teddy’s Law, as the bill is known, would update provincial animal welfare legislation to ban the practice of declawing cats, unless a veterinarian deems it a necessary medical procedure.

Courtesy of Arial Ng.

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Kim McCoyAnimal Law, Animal WelfareComment
EU Court backs ban on animal slaughter without stunning.
EU Court backs ban on animal slaughter without stunning.

A Belgian ban on kosher and halal slaughter of animals without being stunned has been backed by the European Court of Justice, which rejected objections by religious groups.

The European Court said all member states had to reconcile both animal welfare and freedom of religion and EU law did not prevent countries from requiring the stunning of animals as long as they respected fundamental rights.

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Kim McCoyCourts, Kosher, Halal, Stunning, LivestockComment
Chinese national held in turtle smuggling scheme.
Chinese national held in turtle smuggling scheme.

A Chinese national is in federal custody in New Jersey after investigations said he financed an international smuggling ring that shipped more than 1,500 endangered turtles from the United States to China and Hong Kong, valued at more than US$2.2million (approximately HK$17million).

The turtles, many of which were bound by duct tape, stuffed into socks and shipped in mislabelled packages, were sold for as much as US$20,000 (approximately HK$155,000) each on the Asian pet black market, authorities have said.

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Kim McCoyMoney Laundering, Wildlife Crime, Turtle
Recent cases of cruelty to birds in Hong Kong.
Recent cases of cruelty to birds in Hong Kong.

Recently, there has been a sudden spike in cases involving cruelty to birds in Hong Kong, with most of the animals suffering severe injuries as a result of the serious violence inflicted. It is important to remember that all animals are deserving of protection and that if you see animals being abused, respond by stopping the assailant and inform the Hong Kong Police immediately.

Courtesy of Marco Poon

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Kim McCoyBirds, Cruelty to animals, Hong Kong
Hong Kong's biggest seizure of endangered seahorses in two years.
Hong Kong's biggest seizure of endangered seahorses in two years.

On 2 December 2020, Hong Kong Customs Officers made their biggest seizure of endangered seahorses in two years finding 75kg of the product valued at HK$1 million. A 63 year old man has since been arrested but released on bail.

This year alone, Customs Officers have confiscated HK$149 million worth of endangered species, 12 per cent more than the value seized in 2019. But the total number of cases has dropped from 659 in 2019 to only 250 in 2020. This indicates that although the frequency of trafficking in endangered species has reduced, the quantity per shipment has severely increased - likely to be a result of traffickers needing to move their products creatively and in bulk due to travel restrictions.

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Kim McCoyCITES, Seahorse, Wildlife trade, Wildlife trafficking, End The Trade, Illegal wildlifeComment
Import of wild animals into UK poses public health risks.
Import of wild animals into UK poses public health risks.

A recent study conducted by World Animal Protection has discovered that over 3 million live wild animals were imported into the UK between 2014 and 2018 from over 90 countries to be sold as exotic pets, including animals from tropical regions identified as emerging disease hotspots.

It is believed that around 70% of all zoonotic emerging infectious diseases have originated from wild animals, and over 35 infectious diseases have emerged in humans since 1982, including Ebola, MERS and SARS.

Courtesy of Nicole Liang.

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Kim McCoyExotic animals, Exotic pet trade, Zoonotic diseasComment