Food for thought in snail cruelty case

The killing of several snails with salt by a Hong Kong Polytechnic University doctoral student has generated a debate - not only on the act alone, but also his arrest by police.

The student involved in the incident is a 26-year-old mainlander studying computing at PolyU.

In the incident, as many as three snails were confirmed dead - thought to have died from dehydration due to the salt.

The cruelty charge facing the man can be rather serious, carrying a sentence of up to three years in prison.

After the incident went viral on social media, the arrest was conducted in a high-profile manner, with the man handcuffed and his home searched.

As the arrest won applause from some animal rights advocates, it reminded us of an incident that was simply horrific.

In Sham Tseng in February last year, 30 animals - including cats, rabbits, hamsters and birds - were thrown from a residential building. In total, 18 animals died. Police later arrested two men in connection with the cruelty case.

However, some six months later, the Department for Justice decided not to prosecute the two, with the decision causing an uproar in society.

At the center of the current debate is whether police acted excessively in respect of snails in light of the devastating outcome of the failed case in 2020.

According to the law against animal cruelty, victims include almost all kinds of living things, from mammals and birds to reptiles and fish. They also include any other vertebrates and invertebrates. Clearly, snails come under the scope as they are invertebrates.

In this broad sense, critics cannot condemn the police for overdoing the snail case. When there are reports, the force would be failing its duty if it did not respond.

The ball is once again in Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng Yeuk-wah's court.

There is little doubt that animal rights groups, including the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, will closely monitor how she handles the case.

Key to the argument is whether the snails suffered pain. If Cheng decides to press ahead with prosecution, the legal exchanges will be highly interesting.

The incident happened on August 4 at a fountain off East Ocean Centre in Tsim Sha Tsui. The suspect allegedly sprinkled salt on the snails to leave them dying from dehydration.

During the incident, some passersby reportedly tried to stop him. Photos later went viral on social media, leading to the arrest 12 days later.

The incident is not the first of its kind. Not so long ago, it was common for children to stone rats to death for fun and cover ants with water to watch them drown.

While such "play" is rare today, it is still common to see customers in restaurants cooking live prawns in hot pots and live octopus sliced up to serve in upmarket Japanese restaurants.

If police have to deal with them all, they will have to expand their animal task force hugely.