Experts say Hong Kong animal-welfare laws need urgent reform
Legal experts say Hong Kong’s animal-welfare laws are no longer adequate to address pet abandonment and stray animals. Their calls follow a series of dog attacks and comments by environment secretary Tse Chin-wan that penalties for abandonment may need strengthening.
Legal experts have said Hong Kong’s animal-welfare laws are no longer adequate to address problems including pet abandonment and stray animals, the South China Morning Post reported. They urged authorities to accelerate long-delayed reforms to the city’s ordinances. The calls followed a series of dog attacks, according to the supplied material.
Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan said authorities would examine whether existing penalties for abandoning pets should be strengthened. He also said officials would bring forward suggestions to the authorities, although the material does not give a timetable. The experts’ criticism concerns the ability of current laws to deal with modern animal-welfare issues.
The source does not specify the proposed legal changes, the number of attacks or the existing penalties.
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