Animal paradise

Adelyn Lau

The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals opened its Jockey Club Centennial Centre in Tsing Yi yesterday to house the largest animal hospital in the New Territories when it starts operating in the second half of the year.

It was built with over HK$300 million donated by the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust and will act as a flagship hub for animal welfare and education purposes.

Spanning over 93,000 square feet, the five-story building can support more than 32,000 animals and 17,000 users per year with an inspectorate on-site team to provide 24-hour rescue service, said Jockey Club chair Michael Lee Tze-hau.

It has already accommodated around 200 animals, including cats, dogs, rabbits and birds, some for adoption while others are under treatment.

It will also have the capacity to desex 8,000 animals and rehome 1,200 animals per year.

SPCA executive committee chair Joanna Eades said: "The facility comes exactly at the right time. It houses the largest state-of-the-art animal hospital in the New Territories and will be the only 24/7 facility in the Kwai Tsing area."

Over 8,000 sq ft of the center is allocated to animal adoption to accommodate and rehome more animals while 14,000 sq ft are reserved for animal birth control and welfare work to accelerate the reduction of abandoned and unwanted pets.

The center features education and immersive classrooms and animal surgery and body-check services. The SPCA also hopes to perform magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography scans.

The inspectorate team relocated from the SPCA Kowloon Centre to Tsing Yi to shorten the response time for animal rescue calls in the New Territories, where demand is greatest.

The SPCA's eighth permanent veterinary clinic and third hospital are provided with facilities such as a full diagnostic laboratory, digital and dental radiography, ultrasonography and acupuncture services for owned and stray animals.

The center boasts four classrooms that can accommodate 120 children. One of the four is an immersive and interactive classroom to teach children aged four to nine about animal welfare education through 270-degree animated scenarios.

Other amenities include a pet-friendly space, a conference room to host 80 visitors, a grooming area, a retail area and 78 kennels for dog and cat boarding.

Meanwhile, virtual insurer OneDegree found that a pet can cost owners up to HK$680,000.

An online survey checked 526 dog and cat owners and found expenses for raising one pet could reach HK$680,000, based on the average lifespan of 14 years.

If you were to calculate based on an average of 1.5 pets per owner the expenditure would climb to up to HK$1.02 million, OneDegree said.

When categorized by expenditure types, food and snacks are the largest cost, accounting for 19.4 percent of expenses. Next are veterinary fees and medication costs at 17.2 percent. Health checks and dental care account for 9.8 percent and pet insurance 8.7 percent.

Company chief executive Emily Chow Mei-wah said its pet insurance provides up to HK$250,000 coverage.

Unlike other pet insurers that reimburse 70 to 80 percent of premium, its online veterinary service can cover up to 90 percent.

Chow noted that OneDegree currently focuses on medical insurance and is looking to expand its offerings to include products like disability insurance for pets.

adelyn.lau@singtaonewscorp.com