We hope to raise awareness in relation to local and international animal law and welfare by presenting the latest news stories and articles from around the world. Sign up to our newsletter to keep informed about the latest news.
The Hong Kong government has proposed banning people convicted of animal cruelty from keeping pets – maybe even for life – as it plans to amend the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Ordinance, Cap 169 in the next Legco term.
Courtesy of Felix Tsang.
Read MoreToday marks the 51st anniversary of Earth Day, with this year’s theme being ‘Restore Our Earth’. This theme challenges us all to focus on natural processes, emerging green technologies and innovative thinking, in order to restore the world’s ecosystem.
We have authored this blog piece to focus on five distinct issues that need to be seriously addressed if we are to make our planet greener and healthier for generations to come. As responsible citizens of earth, we must continue to make informed choices in our habits and lives.
A healthy planet is not an option - it is a necessity.
Read MoreAfrican elephants have always been considered the same species, but in reality they had split from each other into two distinct species over 5 - 6 million years ago, around the time when humans separated from chimpanzees. The savanna elephant is larger, has curving tusks, and roams the open plains of sub-Saharan Africa. The smaller, darker forest elephant, with straight tusks, lives in the equatorial forests of Central and West Africa.
Now, for the first time, scientists have separately evaluated how the two are faring—and the findings are grim.
Courtesy of Kelly Ma
Read MoreStalls at a livestock market in southern China were shut down for selling hundreds of cats and dogs after a dedicated pet owner traced a missing cat to the market using GPS technology. The authorities raided the market having received reports that stolen pets were being sold, and seized a total of 235 cats.
A draft “white list” of animals allowed to be raised for meat to be consumed included pigs, cattle, goats, donkeys, rabbits, chickens, ducks, geese, pigeons, and quail. Dogs and cats were excluded. But with no unified national ban in place, the practice of eating dog and cat meat continues.
Courtesy of Amelia Wang.
Read MoreWhen the stricken container ship Ever-Given became stuck in the Suez Canal, it caused more than 200 ships to be unable to pass and forced to divert around southern Africa’s Cape of Good Hope. However, at least 20 of the boats delayed were carrying livestock, which raised significant concerns about the welfare of animals had the logjam become protracted. Thousands of cattle have already been slaughtered this year because of delays at sea, arriving at ports severely malnourished after spending months in substandard conditions.
Courtesy of Audrey O’Young.
Read MoreThe Court of Justice of the European Union (“CJEU”) has recently ruled the practice of bird hunting using glue traps to be illegal due to the harm the method causes to songbirds. Many EU countries have banned this practice, but France is one of the countries that still allows it.
Courtesy of Michelle Cheung.
Read MoreAlmost 80% of sharks caught on drum lines in the Great Barrier Reef marine park last year died despite the Queensland government being told to try harder to eliminate deaths under its shark control program.
Analysis by the Humane Society International showed that of the 178 sharks hooked on drum lines off the marine park’s popular beaches between February and December last year, 137 sharks had died.
Courtesy of Marco Poon
Read More'Ineffective' koala policy would exempt 80% of land, NSW planning minister warned. A senior New South Wales government minister last year warned rules intended to protect koalas in the state would be “ineffective” if rural areas were excluded as it would mean about 80% of land was exempt.
Courtesy of Kelly Ma.
Read MoreA licensed animal trader in Tai Po, was found to be unlawfully possessing 33 parrots, 20 Appendix I endangered species and another 13 species protected under Appendix II of the Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance, Cap 586.
Courtesy of Felix Tsang
Read MoreHong Kong Police have launched an investigation into the death of four dogs believed to have been poisoned at a temple in northern Hong Kong on Wednesday (10 March 2021). The prevalence of poisoning cases has become an increasing concern, and despite investigations, no arrests have been made in any of the cases.
Dr. David Gething from Creature Comforts Pet Community and HKALPO have put together a Fact Sheet for dog poisoning. Please feel free to share this with other animal lovers and always remain alert for suspicious food left in public areas.
Read MoreAccording to researchers, the global population of sharks and rays has dropped for more than 70% in the past 50 years, pushing the two species towards extinction. The main reason for the decrease in global population can be attributed to the sudden booming fishing industry which began in the early 1970’s and continues today.
Currently, half of the world’s 31 oceanic shark species and the giant manta ray are listed as either endangered or critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Courtesy of Marco Poon
Read MoreUK-based non-profit animal protection law firm Advocates for Animals has recently submitted a complaint to the CITES Secretariat in relation to China’s flagrant flouting of international law by illegally exporting elephants from Laos and chimpanzees from South Africa. Both of these species are classified by the CITES as some of the most endangered species in the world, meaning that any commercial trade for them is banned.
Follow Advocates for Animals to stay up to date with all the work they do for animals, as they hold to account not only people who break the law but also governments and other bodies charged with enforcing it.
Courtesy of Louis Cheung
Read MoreLive animals including dogs, cats, tortoise, and rabbits are amongst the many animals people in Mainland China can purchase for as low as 9.9 RMB, (approximately HK$43) in a ‘live mystery box’. What is even more surprising than their existence, is that more than 6000 of these mystery boxes have been sold.
The low cost of these animals means that to an irresponsible owner, they are purely expendable and they are more likely to “try their luck” again, rather than provide the love and attention the animal they received needs.
Courtesy of Amelia Wang.
Read MoreKim J McCoy, Barrister, Animal-Welfare Advocate and Founder of HKALPO Gets Delightfully Bent About Animal Welfare Laws in Hong Kong and Beyond on the Season 1 Finale of Shooting it RAW.
Read MoreHong Kong police are hunting for a suspect over a horrific case of animal cruelty in which a Labrador bled to death after its neck was slashed.
Animal cruelty continues to poison Hong Kong. When will people start treating animals as living creatures capable of feeling pain and suffering, rather than inanimate objects? It is time the Hong Kong Government, the Hong Kong Police and Courts started to treat animal cruelty more seriously in order to deter others from doing the same.
Courtesy of Amelia Wang.
Read MoreFor almost 50 years, an unknown person or persons have deliberately and indiscriminately poisoned and killed animals, including many dogs. The perpetrators are unknown but the emotional toll has been recorded in the heart-breaking interviews with those who loved the canine victims
Read more about one of Hong Kong’s most famous murder mysteries, the laws relating to poisons and injurious substances and suggested amendments to the current law in order to better protect animals in Hong Kong.
Courtesy of Sala Sihombing and Karine Goyneau.
Read MoreIllegal wildlife trade continues to worryingly gain traction on the internet. A large number of websites and various social media platforms have become avenues where wildlife goods are offered, often with suspect origins. Not only is the breadth of online platforms concerning, but so too the wide range of species and items openly advertised and readily available for purchase at the click of a button.
The methods needed to monitor, regulate and combat illegal wildlife trade online are vastly different from those employed to deal with “traditional” wildlife trafficking, and there are different challenges in terms of tools and capacity.
Learn more about how social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram are, despite their pledge to remove illegal wildlife content, actually accelerating trafficking, as well as the emergence of groups dedicated to exposing illegal wildlife trade on social media.
Courtesy of Audrey O’Young.
Read More恭喜發財, 新年快樂
Happy Chinese New Year! May this Year of the Ox be filled with happiness, prosperity, good health and many precious moments with your loved ones.
The beginning of the Year of the Ox also serves as a timely reminder for us all that cruelty extends to all types of different animals. Sightings of cattle and buffalo on Hong Kong hiking trails are not uncommon, but there have been a worrying number of serious injuries inflicted upon these animals, some of the worst that have been seen in recent times.
Read MoreAnimal welfare groups are urging dog owners in Hong Kong to properly leash their pets and be extra vigilant after a spate of dog poisoning incidents over the past weekend. At least six dogs have died within hours of ingesting poisonous bait at Cyberport Waterfront Park in Pok Fu Lam.
This horrific incident comes months after three dogs were found dead within 72 hours in July 2020 having visited the same park in Cyberport, as well as Victoria Road.
Courtesy of Kelly Ma.
Read MoreA woman was arrested on Monday night in Hong Kong after an online video of a cat being trapped in a washing machine went viral. The video shows the cat sitting inside a washing machine before its lid was closed and the appliance is turned on. The machine runs for about 10 seconds, during which time the animal can be seen barely moving around inside.
This incident unfortunately demonstrates the mindset a lot of Hong Kong people have towards animals. Animals are merely treated as “things” or “objects”, rather than something that is living, capable of feeling pain and suffering and deserving of our protection. A change in mindset is desperately needed if we as a society can truly be said to be protective of animals.
Courtesy of Kelly Ma.
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