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Following is a question by the Hon Chan Hak-kan and a written reply by the Secretary for Food and Health, Dr Ko Wing-man, in the Legislative Council today (October 28):
Question:
Some members of the public have pointed out to me that the problem of animals being abandoned has become increasingly serious, and therefore the authorities should face up to the problem, such as stepping up law enforcement and promoting the message of caring for animals. Under the existing arrangements, stray animals caught by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) are kept in Animal Management Centres (AMCs) for at least four days pending reclaim by their owners. Unclaimed animals are passed on to animal welfare organisations for adoption or euthanised. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the number of animals received by AMCs in each of the past five years, and the percentage of such animals being euthanised;
(2) whether AFCD will consider increasing the number of days for which animals are kept in AMCs to facilitate owners to reclaim their animals; if AFCD will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(3) whether AFCD has studied the reasons why owners abandon their animals; given that the Hong Kong Housing Authority prohibits public rental housing (PRH) tenants from keeping dogs and other animals (except small household pets) in their rental units, of the number of animals abandoned by PRH tenants in the past five years;
(4) given that the Rabies Ordinance (Cap. 421) provides that a keeper of any mammal who, without reasonable excuse, abandons that animal commits an offence, of the number of prosecutions instituted by the authorities under the said Ordinance in the past five years, and the penalties imposed on the convicted persons by the court;
(5) whether the authorities have reviewed the effectiveness of the current legislation on prohibiting animal abandonment, and whether they will consider increasing the relevant penalties to enhance the deterrent effect;
(6) whether the authorities will, by making reference to the relevant practice of Kumamoto City, Japan, consider setting a goal of "zero euthanisation of animals"; if they will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(7) whether the authorities have implemented new measures in 2015-2016 to strengthen public awareness of care for animals; if they have, of the details of the new measures and the expenditure involved?
Reply:
President,
The Government has been striving to promote in the community a culture of care for animals with a view to protecting animal welfare. To this end, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) has established a dedicated team to devise, implement and fortify public education and publicity programmes for disseminating messages that help promote care for animals and responsible pet ownership. In fact, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) has pointed out that the promotion of responsible pet ownership can significantly reduce the number of stray dogs and the incidence of zoonotic diseases. At the same time, we have been encouraging members of the public to adopt stray animals and co-operating with animal welfare organisations on the provision of animal adoption services.
The Government will continue to safeguard and promote animal welfare through the above measures, with a view to reducing cases of abandoning animals.
My reply to the various parts of the question is as follows:
(1) Animals admitted into the Animal Management Centres (AMCs) of AFCD include stray animals caught, animals handed over by owners and those received through other means. The relevant figures including the number of animals euthanised in each of the past five years are listed in the Annex.
(2) At present, stray animals caught in Hong Kong, including lost pets loitering on the street, will be sent to the AMCs of AFCD for observation. For animals with a microchip implanted, the AMCs will try to locate their owners based on the information on the microchips. In general, these animals will stay in the centres temporarily for about 10 to 20 days. Those without a microchip will stay in the centres for at least four days allowing time for their owners to reclaim them. In cases where the animals concerned, be they handed over by pet owners or left unclaimed, are in good health and assessed by a veterinary surgeon as having a gentle temperament and suitable for adoption, AFCD will arrange for their transfer to animal welfare organisations for adoption by members of the public.
AFCD has four AMCs across the territory and the utilisation of their animal keeping facilities is constantly at a high level. Allowing all animals to stay longer in the AMCs to allow more time for their owners to reclaim them would significantly reduce the space for keeping other animals, including those healthy and docile animals suitable for adoption. These animals could otherwise be able to stay in the AMCs for a longer period of time to wait for the chance of being adopted. Besides, a crowded environment in the AMCs might increase the risk of disease transmission among animals. As such, we have no plan to change the current arrangements.
(3) As mentioned above, animals admitted into the AMCs include stray animals caught, animals handed over by owners and those received through other means. AFCD does not have a breakdown of figures of animals being abandoned as a result of prohibition against animal keeping in public rental housing estates, Home Ownership Scheme estates or other housing estates.
(4) As stipulated in the Rabies Ordinance (Cap 421), a keeper of animal who, without a reasonable excuse, abandons that animal commits an offence and is liable to a maximum fine of $10,000 and imprisonment for up to six months.
However, even if AFCD manages to identify the owners of the abandoned animals, the owners will usually defend themselves by claiming that the animals have gone astray. In the absence of any witnesses or other evidence, it is always difficult for the prosecution authority to establish a case for prosecution, taking into account the chance of a successful conviction. The prosecution might at best initiate proceedings against the dog owners concerned for failing to control their dogs properly. In 2013, AFCD had successfully convicted an owner under the Rabies Ordinance for animal abandonment without a reasonable excuse and was fined $500.
The number of dog owners prosecuted and convicted in each of the past five years for failing to control their dogs properly by allowing them to loiter in public places is as follows:
Year No. of successful convictions
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2010 365
2011 325
2012 355
2013 296
2014 331
(5) We consider that public education is most important for safeguarding and promoting animal welfare. To this end, AFCD has established a dedicated team to devise and implement education and publicity programmes for promoting responsible pet ownership, including appealing to the public to carefully consider whether they are able to take life-long care of the pet before purchasing it, and not to abandon animals or surrender them to the relevant authority for disposal without good cause. Through the above-mentioned education and publicity programmes, the number of complaints received by AFCD about nuisance caused by stray animals and that of stray animals caught in the past five years have dropped by 38 per cent and 36 per cent respectively. We will continue to implement and enhance these measures to achieve greater effectiveness. The Government has no plan to increase the relevant penalties.
(6) A number of international animal organisations (including OIE) and the global veterinary sector generally endorse that where various measures for managing stray dogs have been implemented and yet the stray dogs caught remain high in number or not fit for adoption, euthanasia would be an appropriate solution in the circumstances. There are also cases where animals that are ill or hurt need to be euthanised to relieve them of their suffering.
As to whether the Government would follow the practice of Kumamoto City, Japan to set a goal of "zero euthanasia of animals", we believe there is no one-size-fits-all solution as each society and city has its own unique situation and considerations. Taking into account Hong Kong's own circumstances, if we do not adopt euthanasia, we will have to keep the stray animals that have not been adopted on a long-term basis. This may on the one hand have implications for public finance and land resources, while on the other hand it may result in the opposite outcome of encouraging abandonment of animals by irresponsible owners, creating a vicious cycle.
As mentioned above, we consider public education most important for safeguarding and promoting animal welfare. At the same time, we have been encouraging members of the public to adopt stray animals. We also co-operate with animal welfare organisations on the provision of animal adoption and free neutering services. As a result of these measures, the number of animals required to be euthanised has decreased by 40 per cent over the past five years. We will continue to implement and enhance these measures to achieve greater effectiveness.
(7) AFCD has been promoting messages of responsible pet ownership and proper care for animals through public education and publicity programmes, advising against abandoning pets or surrendering them without good cause, and emphasising the need for dog licensing, rabies vaccination and the benefits of neutering. In 2015-16, we have earmarked a provision of $5 million for the implementation of the relevant education and publicity activities, including producing announcements in the public interest on television and radio; placing advertisements on different platforms such as cinemas, public transport, bus stops, magazines and websites; organising promotional events jointly with different animal welfare organisations in shopping arcades and outdoor venues; conducting village and community campaigns, as well as holding talks in schools and housing estates. AFCD has also revamped its website to further promote respect for animals and provide information on proper care for animals.
Ends/Wednesday, October 28, 2015
Issued at HKT 15:02
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