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LCQ13: Stray dogs
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    Following is a question by the Hon Choy So-yuk and a written reply by the Secretary for Food and Health, Dr York Chow, in the Legislative Council today (January 16):

Question:

     It has been reported that following an incident in which a person was bitten by stray dogs in Ma Tin Pok Village of Yuen Long at the end of December 2007, staff of the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) caught and detained 16 stray dogs including new-born puppies in the vicinity. I have learnt that some villagers pointed out that those stray dogs (construction site dogs) were abandoned by a construction site nearby upon completion of works. Since the incident, various animal protection organisations in the community had contacted AFCD to indicate their willingness to adopt these dogs, but AFCD rejected their requests. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(a) whether the above 16 stray dogs have been or will be euthanised; if not, of their current health conditions, and whether adoption will be arranged for them;

(b) why AFCD rejected the animal protection organisations' adoption requests; and whether the department has formulated any internal guidelines on handling stray dogs caught; if it has, whether its rejection of the adoption requests is in compliance with such internal guidelines; if it is in compliance, of the details of the guidelines; if it is not in compliance, the reasons for not acting according to the internal guidelines; and

(c) focusing on the problem of construction site dogs, of the number of construction site inspections conducted by the authorities last year; the number of non-compliance cases (including failure to have the dogs licensed, or failure to cause the dogs to be vaccinated against Rabies and micro-chipped, etc.) found during those inspections, the respective numbers of verbal warnings issued, prosecutions instituted and convictions, as well as the penalties imposed?

Reply:

Madam President,

(a) & (b) Among the 15 stray dogs caught in Ma Tin Pok, Yuen Long, seven were suitable for adoption, having been found to be healthy and with pleasant temperament after examination by veterinarians of the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD). AFCD has contacted animal welfare organisations to arrange adoption for these dogs. The remaining dogs were found unsuitable for adoption and hence have been euthanised.

(c) In 2007, the AFCD carried out more than 580 inspections of construction sites and caught a total of some 400 stray dogs. During the inspections, 10 kept dogs were found unlicensed and not implanted with microchip. One of the dog owners was prosecuted and fined. The other dog owners licensed and micro-chipped their dogs immediately upon warning.

Ends/Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Issued at HKT 14:31

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