Hong Kong’s animal welfare laws fail to meet modern demands, experts say

Hong Kong’s existing animal welfare laws are no longer “fit for purpose” to deal with issues around pet abandonment and strays, legal experts have said, urging authorities to expedite long-delayed reforms to the city’s ordinances following a spate of dog attacks.

The calls echo comments by Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan, who said on Wednesday that authorities would look at whether existing penalties for pet abandonment should be strengthened and bring suggestions to the Legislative Council by the end of the year.

Hong Kong’s animal welfare laws – namely the Protection of Cruelty to Animals Ordinance and Dangerous Dogs Regulations – have drawn intense public scrutiny following a string of recent incidents, including the suspected fatal mauling of a woman by stray dogs in Yuen Long last Saturday.

“Hong Kong’s Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Ordinance … remains fundamentally focused on prohibiting acts of cruelty,” said Kim McCoy, a practising barrister and founder of the Hong Kong Animal Law and Protection Organisation.