Police and the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department have in the first three quarters of 2023 received 336 reports on suspected animal cruelty, reaching a five-year high. Yet only 16 of the cases were successfully prosecuted.
According to AFCD documents submitted to Legco, 2023’s figure in the first nine months is already higher than the annual figures of 263 cases in 2022 and 256 cases in 2021.
Among the 336 cases, only 16 were successfully prosecuted, with 16 individuals fined between HK$5,000 and HK$6,000 or jailed from 10 days to a year. Both the number of prosecutions and the penalties imposed remain similar to those in the past.
The department emphasized that upon investigation, most of the cases were found to be nuisance-related and not involving animal cruelty.
The government had earlier proposed to amend the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Ordinance to increase the penalties concerned, with the draft bill set to be submitted to Legco for scrutiny.
Meanwhile, the department revealed that they have spent an average of nearly HK$3 million over the past five years on conducting inspections and prosecutions related to suspected cases of animal cruelty. This accounts for approximately 0.1 percent to 0.2 percent of the department’s overall expenditure.
In terms of expenses related to animal welfare education and promotion, the total expenditure over the five-year period exceeded HK$100 million, averaging approximately 0.9 percent to 1.4 percent of the department’s overall expenditure each year.
Hong Kong United Times丨香港聯合時報丨HKUT 