Animal-abuse cases rise to five-year high but few prosecutions

Hong Kong witnessed a concerning rise in animal abuse cases last year, with a total of 336 reports received, the highest in five years.

However, the authorities were able to prosecute 16 of these cases, as revealed by the Agriculture, Fisheries, and Conservation Department during yesterday's meeting of the Finance Committee.

Lawmaker Chan Hak-kan raised questions about the department's resources and expenditure allocated to combating animal cruelty.

According to the department's written response, the number of reported cases of suspected animal cruelty reached 336 by September of last year. This represented a 28 percent increase compared to the previous year, which had recorded 263 cases.

Also, the figure saw a surge of over 30 percent compared to the 256 cases reported in 2021. But, out of the 336 reports, only 16 resulted in successful prosecutions. The penalties imposed ranged from fines of HK$5,000 to HK$6,000 and imprisonment of 10 days to one year.

"Upon receiving reports of suspected animal cruelty, both the department and the police conduct investigations and initiate prosecutions if there is sufficient evidence," the department said.

However, it acknowledged that "most of the cases were classified as nuisance-related rather than of animal cruelty".

Data from previous years indicated that there were 20 successful prosecutions in 2022 and 15 in 2021, with penalties ranging from HK$1,000 to HK$3,000 and imprisonment terms of eight days to five months.

Notably, the Department of Justice decided against prosecuting 14 cases suspected of violating the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Ordinance in the past three years. The DoJ's decision was influenced by concerns over penalties being perceived as too lenient.

Over the past three years, the department has assigned one staff member annually to handle animal cruelty cases. Also, its expenditure on inspection and prosecution of suspected animal cruelty has averaged HK$3 million per year over the past five years, representing 0.1 to 0.2 percent of the department's total spend.

In contrast, more than HK$100 million has been dedicated to education and awareness for animal welfare during the same five-year period, constituting 0.9 to 1.4 percent of the government's annual expenditure.

In response to the rising concern, the government is undertaking preparatory work to amend the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Ordinance in order to enhance animal welfare safeguards.

The amendments include imposing a requirement on individuals responsible for specified animals to take measures to address animal welfare needs, such as protection from pain and injury.

The amendments aim to increase penalties for animal abuse and strengthen enforcement powers. The department said that drafting of relevant regulations is in its final stages, and the proposed amendment will be forwarded to Legco as soon as possible.