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.
China will incorporate biodiversity protection in development plans in all regions and sectors, Vice Premier Han Zheng said at the opening of U.N. talks aimed at making progress on a global deal to halt mass extinction.
China has vowed to make protecting nature a priority after decades of rapid development and urbanisation devastated ecosystems, put dozens of species on the brink of extinction and raised the risk of lethal zoonotic diseases like COVID-19.
Courtesy of Tony Chen
Read MoreThe descendants of cocaine baron Pablo Escobar’s hippos in Colombia should have the same legal rights as people, a federal court in the US ruled this week.
The ruling, by a judge at a federal court in Ohio, came in response to a lawsuit filed on behalf of the hippos by a charity, the Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF), to make the hippos “interested persons,” in the ongoing case of whether to cull or sterilise the herd over concerns of environmental damage and public safety.
The decision is thought to be the first time such legal status has been granted to animals.
Courtesy of Kat Mak
Read MoreA Hong Kong woman has been sentenced to 16 months’ imprisonment for 2 counts of burglary and one count of animal cruelty. Having been dissatisfied that her partner did not want to commit to a relationship, the woman broke into his house and damaged his personal property.
However and most unfortunately, she also took her anger out on two tortoises, killing them both in a horrendous manner. The damage inflicted on one of the tortoises was so bad that it left the tortoise with exposed internal organs and severe autolysis. She was sentenced to 4 months’ imprisonment on the animal cruelty count, with 2 months’ to be served consecutively to her 14 month sentence for burglary.
Animals are not things. They are neither a bargaining chip nor props to be aimlessly deployed in the midst on an argument. Animals are sentient beings and as such are able to feel and experience emotions - be they positive or negative. It is natural for human beings to feel anger or frustration from time to time, but these emotions do not need to be taken out on innocent animals.
Courtesy of Angus Chiu
Read MoreOne of Britain’s leading huntsmen has been found guilty of encouraging or assisting others to commit an offence under the Hunting Act. Mark Hankinson was a director of the Hunting Office that runs the sport. He was caught in a leaked online training webinar in 2020 telling hunts how to hunt illegally.
Fox hunting was made illegal in the Hunting Act 2004. Many organisations instead turned to trail hunting which involves laying a scent for hounds to chase instead of a live animal. Between 2010 and 2020 there were 384 successful prosecutions under the Hunting Act in the UK.
Courtesy of HKALPO
Read MoreHousehold fruit growers across Victoria have less than a week to update their netting or risk "significant" penalties.
From September domestic fruit growers will be required to use netting with an aperture of five millimetres by five millimetres at full stretch.
Wildlife animals are often trapped in the existing netting of fruit trees, and because they would keep on struggling to escape from it, they often suffer horrific injury or even death. Even though they were not dead when found, they might have to be euthanized because of serious injuries.
The law covering backyard fruit growers is the final piece of Victoria's Protection of Cruelty to Animals (POCTA) Act 2019, designed to help safeguard animal welfare while enabling food and fibre industries to function responsibly and productively.
Courtesy of Kelly Ma.
Read MoreConcerns have been raised after reports of 'unprecedented' deaths amongst guillemots in the north of the UK.
The seabirds have reportedly been found starving and washed up dead along the coast of Scotland and northeast England. The birds have also been seen closer to shore than normal, away from their hunting grounds out in the open water.
Toxins, climate change and a lack of food have been suggested as causes, but the exact reasons remain unclear.
Courtesy of Michelle Cheung.
Read MoreThe South Korean President, Moon Jae-in, has raised banning the eating of dogs in the country, his office has said - a traditional practice that is becoming an international embarrassment.
Dog meat has been a long part of South Korean cuisine with about 1 million dogs believed to be eaten annually - but the consumption has declined as more people being to embrace dogs as companions rather than livestock. Indeed, younger generations of South Koreans view the practice as something of a taboo, with growing support from animal rights activists in the country.
Courtesy of Kat Mak.
Read MoreA statement released by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service on Wednesday (29 September) proposed to delist 23 species from the Endangered Species Act 1973 as they are considered extinct.
Courtesy of Audrey O’Young
Read MoreOn 18th August 2021, the Hong Kong Legislative Council voted in favour of a Members Bill to include wildlife crime offences into the Organised and Serious Crimes Ordinance (Cap. 455) (“OSCO”). As a known hub for wildlife trade, Hong Kong was in desperate need of stronger legal measures - both investigatory and punitive - to play its part in combating global wildlife trade. But just as Rome was not built in a day, the amendment to OSCO took many years and the collaborative efforts of many different people.
In this instalment of Tell Me More, HKALPO interviews two of the many contributors to this legislative feat:
Amanda S. Whitfort - a practicing barrister and Associate Professor of Law at the University of Hong Kong. Amanda is also a project advisor for HKALPO;
ADM Capital Foundation - a philanthropic foundation contributing to climate action and biodiversity protection.
Courtesy of Audrey O’Young
Read MoreSouth Korea plans to amend its civil code to grant animals legal status.
The amendment, which must still be approved by parliament, likely during its next regular session in September, would make South Korea one of a handful of countries to recognise animals as beings, with a right to protection, enhanced welfare and respect for life.
Courtesy of Amelia Wang
Read MoreThe Food and Environmental Hygiene Department and the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department have conducted a series of operations to counter incidents of wild animal feeding and dirtying public spaces.
Within this past year, blitz operations have led to about 80 prosecutions against people who have contravened cleanliness regulations in the Southern district, out of which 20 offenders received a fixed penalty notices of HK$1500, with an additional 60 having a summons issued against them.
Courtesy of Arial Ng.
Read MoreOver 100 cats and dogs packaged in ‘blind boxes’ were abandoned roadside in Jiading district, Shanghai earlier this week. There were over 30 dogs and 70 cats in the mix, and most of them were under two months old. Some of the animals had died by the time they were found, and others were in poor health.
Courtesy of Andy Au
Read MorePet abduction is to be made a criminal offence in England after a rise in reported thefts during Covid lockdowns. Theft of a pet is currently treated as a loss of an owner's property, but ministers want a new law to acknowledge the emotional distress it can cause.
Courtesy of Michelle Cheung
Read MoreThe Komodo dragon, endemic to Indonesia has been reclassified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (“IUCN”) Red List as ‘endangered’. According to the IUCN’s news statement, the change in global temperature affecting sea levels ‘are expected to reduce the Komodo dragon’s suitable habitat by at least 30% in the next 45 years’.
Courtesy of Audrey O’Young
Read MoreHong Kong environmental groups have criticised a Government decision to remove protections for the vulnerable finless porpoises, by allowing underwater cable installation for the controversial HK$31 billion waste incinerator, near their main marine habitat during their most active season.
The nearby waters of south Lantau Island are important for the Indo-Pacific porpoise, which has been given the “vulnerable” status on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species.
Courtesy of Kat Mak.
Read MoreThe Faculty of Law, the University of Hong Kong and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Hong Kong) have published a new study on animal cruelty cases in Hong Kong.
The retrospective study looked at 335 suspected cruelty offences recorded by the SPCA HK between January 2013 and December 2019. Cases were categorised into six major types of abuse: active maltreatment, passive neglect, commercial exploitation, hoarding, poisoning and trapping.
New strategies were recommended to address cruelty to animals in Hong Kong, including the introduction of a duty of care, a new offence to deter animal poisoning, improved controls on traps used for animals, a new offence of cruelty by falling from height, bans on unnecessary mutilations and mercy release and the licensing of all shelters, grooming parlours and dog trainers.
Courtesy of HKALPO
Read MoreSixteen impounded dogs (including one mother dog with her 10 puppies) waiting to be rescued in New South Wales were reportedly put down by the local council to enforce COVID-19 travel restrictions. According to NSW Health, there were no recent locally acquired COVID-19 cases in Cobar at the time of the incident.
Courtesy of Kelly Ma.
Read MorePhotographer Tony Austin was at the tail-end of a 3-hour nature walk recently when a murder of crows landed nearby. When one of the crows started “acting strangely,” Austin began photographing it. When Austin reviewed the photos on his large computer monitor at home, he was surprised to discover that the crow had ants crawling all over its body — it had been taking an ant bath.
Anting is a maintenance tactic birds use in which they intentionally invite ants or other insects onto their feathers and skin. Oftentimes the bird will lie down in a location covered with the insects and do certain poses while the bugs are swarming its body. This is called passive anting, and this is what Austin observed and photographed.
Courtesy of Amelia Wang
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