LCQ3: Combating cruelty to animals
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Question:
Last month, the Office of The Ombudsman published an investigation report on the Government's work in combating cruelty to animals, highlighting issues such as insufficient guidelines and hasty closure of cases in the enforcement work of the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) given that the authorities briefed this Council on the key proposals to amend the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Ordinance in May 2022, of the reasons why the legislative amendment proposals have not yet been formally submitted; whether it will undertake to complete the legislative amendments, or to implement them in phases, within the term of the current Government; if so, the specific timetable; if not, the reasons for that;
(2) whether the authorities will consider enacting an animal welfare law and prioritising legislation to safeguard the welfare of domestic animals, ensuring that persons responsible for domestic animals must take reasonable measures; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(3) given that cases of alleged cruelty to animals involving primary and secondary school students have occurred one after another in recent months, of the details of the authorities' efforts to educate students on cherishing and caring for animals; whether they have plans to provide relevant training for teachers and update teaching materials; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
President,
The Government has been curbing acts of cruelty to animals through stringent enforcement and preventive work such as education. On enforcement, under the division of work within the Government, the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) is responsible for handling emergency cases; whereas non-emergency cases reported through platforms including the 1823, such as reports on providing insufficient food, are followed up by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD).
The Office of The Ombudsman earlier published an investigation report on the Government's work in combating cruelty to animals, which acknowledges that the AFCD's investigations into cases of cruelty to animals are currently constrained by its enforcement powers as it cannot enter premises to carry out investigations, and put forward various recommendations regarding the AFCD's various areas of work, including the follow-up of reports, case monitoring and collaborative efforts to combat animal cruelty. The AFCD accepts all the recommendations of the report and is actively following up on various improvement measures, including enhancement of case-handling workflows, strengthening internal monitoring mechanisms and enhancement of professional training for frontline staff, etc. The department will continue to work with the HKPF, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) and other organisations, to intensify efforts to combat acts of cruelty to animals.
Having consulted the Education Bureau and the Security Bureau, the reply to the question from the Hon Nixie Lam is as follows:
(1) When studying amendments to the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Ordinance (Cap.169)(the Ordinance), the Government understands there are divergent views among members of the public and stakeholders on the penalty level for animal cruelty, enforcement powers of the department and the regulation on the proper care of pet animals through legislation. In this connection, we shall adopt a prudent approach and study carefully. We note that the society's current concern is largely focused on the need to intensify efforts to combat cruelty to animals; the Office of The Ombudsman's report also considers that there is less controversy in this area, hence recommends amending the Ordinance in phases, starting with increasing the penalty for cruelty to animals and strengthening the enforcement powers of AFCD staff. We will take into account the views of all parties in a holistic manner, and strive to provide an update to the public within this year on the next phase of work.
(2) We note that there the community has yet to form a consensus on whether legislation should be introduced to regulate the care and welfare of pets; but I believe we would all agree that publicity and education can play a significant role for pet owners to understand how to care for their pets, and meet their needs for diet, living environment and health, etc. The AFCD will continue to strengthen work in this aspect, actively promote the message that pet keeping is a lifelong commitment, promoting pet adoption, educating the public the ideas of "respect life and treat animals well" and "be a responsible pet owner". Promotion channels include TV Announcements in the Public Interest, AFCD's animal welfare thematic website, roving exhibitions, dog training courses, pet adoption days, etc. The AFCD and the SPCA will jointly release a new series of education videos within next month to educate pet owners to properly care for their dogs, and promote harmonious co-existence of the dogs and people nearby.
(3) The Government has strengthened the cross-departmental collaboration in fostering an awareness of caring for animals among the next generation in schools, specific work include:
(i) The AFCD conducts free educational seminars for schools annually. For the past three years, more than 470 school seminars have been held, with more than 15 000 students participating every year and have been met with enthusiastic responses. The education seminars are primarily aimed at kindergartens and primary schools, focusing on cultivating awareness of caring for animals and helping students understand that owning a pet is a lifelong commitment. The seminars explain in simple terms the different needs of animals; things to consider before getting a pet; how to properly care for a pet; pets should not be abandoned; and encourages students to opt for pet adoptions instead of buying.
(ii) The HKPF officially implemented the Animal Watchers Programme (AWP) since 2021, actively set up "Animal Care Corners" in schools, and appointed "AWP Student Ambassadors" to care for the animals in the "Animal Care Corners". By collaborating with government departments and animal protection organisations, such as cooperating in organising programmes with the AFCD and the Ocean Park, the programme enhances students' pet care skills through diverse training. Moreover, the HKPF also partnered with the Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences at the City University of Hong Kong to launch the "AWP Student Mentorship Programme", where students receive expert guidance on animal care from mentors with specialist knowledge. These activities deliver animal protection messages to students and cultivate their awareness on animal protection and prevention of cruelty to animals from an early age.
(iii) At the same time, the Education Bureau (EDB) has been committed to promoting the implementation of values education, to help students understand, respect and appreciate life, and protect themselves, others and animals through responsible words and actions. Learning elements related to life education have already been embedded across the kindergarten, primary and secondary curricula, encompassing topics on the protection of animals. The Values Education Curriculum Framework further identifies "strengthening life education" as one of the major focuses for schools to continuously strengthen, and "caring for animals", "embracing empathy" are suggested expected learning outcomes. On teacher training and resources, the EDB continues to develop learning and teaching resources, including a themed webpage on "Animal Protection" (Chinese version only), life-event exemplars with themes on "Caring for Animals, Harmonious Coexistence with Nature" and "Living with Pets" for teachers' reference and use. The EDB also provides relevant professional development programmes, which include experience sharing, to enhance teachers' professional knowledge and teaching strategies in implementing life education. The AFCD and the EDB will continue to collaborate and provide appropriate teaching resources for teachers.
President, the Government has zero tolerance for acts of cruelty to animals. The AFCD will continue to jointly prevent and investigate suspected animal cruelty cases with the HKPF and the SPCA through multi-agency collaboration. The Departments will also deepen educational and publicity efforts within schools and the community to foster the awareness of students and the general public on taking proper care of animals and prevention of cruelty to animals, such that pets would be taken care of, and the society would move towards harmonious coexistence of humans and animals.
Ends/Wednesday, May 6, 2026
Issued at HKT 12:46
Issued at HKT 12:46
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