Drivers must stop their vehicles after hitting dogs or cats or risk a HK$10,000 fine and six months' imprisonment following a legislative amendment passed yesterday.

The amendment to the Road Traffic Ordinance was passed yesterday and will take effect six months after it is gazetted.

Under the existing ordinance, a driver shall stop if his vehicle hits and injures an animal on the road, with animal being defined as any horse, cattle, donkey, mule, sheep, pig or goat.

The definition covers only livestock and allows owners to seek compensation from drivers.

Following the amendment, cats and dogs will be included. Drivers who hit them with their vehicles have the legal responsibility to stop, and those who don't are liable to a fine of HK$10,000 and six months in jail.

The driver shall either leave his details at the scene with a police officer or report the accident in person to the police within 24 hours after the accident. Otherwise, the penalty is a HK$15,000 fine and six months' jail.

Lawmakers applauded the change, saying cats and dogs are the closest friends of humans. Mandatory reporting increases the chances of an animal surviving an accident, they added.

But they said it was only a small step toward improving animal welfare.

"It is very different to an animal welfare law," said lawmaker Elizabeth Quat Pui-fan of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong.

"There are many animal-abuse cases. The problem of the illegal release of animals into the wild is serious too," she said.

Civic Passion's Cheng Chung-tai said people only became aware that dogs and cats were not protected by the ordinance after a recent case.

Earlier this month, a "dog ambassador" at the Kowloon Funeral Parlour in Tai Kok Tsui died after being hit by a private car.

The 14-year-old dog, Big Ear, was crossing a road when a white private car hit it and drove away on April 15.

It was rushed to an animal hospital but died two days later.

According to video from another car's dashcam, the driver of the white car got out the car to check on the dog, but left without doing anything.

Many residents criticized the car owner for being irresponsible, but as it occurred before the amendment, the driver did not break any laws at the time.

Separately, a 70-year-old man was sentenced to two months in prison, suspended for 18 months, for throwing stones at wild pigeons.

A Kowloon City magistrate's court heard Tang Chong-shu twice mistreated the pigeons on November 17 and on March 3.

He pleaded guilty to two counts of cruelty to animals and was given a suspended sentence, taking into account he had spent 30 years in prison and become disconnected with society. It came out that he made only HK$2,000 to HK$5,000 a month and wanted to eat the pigeons.

Pets come under protection in road accident law changes