Rising number of arrests for cruelty to animals, lawmakers told

Fifty-nine people  were arrested for allegedly abusing animals last year, nearly twice the number of 32 in 2022, Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan told lawmakers on Wednesday.

This came as election committee lawmaker Dennis Lam Shun-chiu questioned the government about measures combating such crimes amid multiple incidents of people allegedly placing poisonous baits on roadsides to poison animals  in recent months.

In a written reply, Tse said police received a total of 71 cases of cruelty to animals last year, up 30 percent from 54 in 2022 although slightly down from 74 in 2023.

Among the arrests, 22 of them were prosecuted.

Tse also said police, Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department and Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals jointly launched the Animal Watch Scheme in 2011 to prevent and detect suspected animal cruelty cases.

The authorities also launched the Animal Watchers Programme and "Be a Responsible Pet Owner" thematic website, as well as organized roving exhibitions to encourage the public to aid in investigations and prevention of cases, as well as raise public awareness of animal welfare, he added.

(Ayra Wang)