(CN) Hong Kong - the City of Life - goes No Kill

[Guest guest]

Article submitted to South China Morning Post and published today in part:

http://focus.scmp.com/ZZZLTVXSNVC.html

 

The " No Kill " Concept for Companion Animal Population Control

 

" Pet " overpopulation is a tragic problem which leads to the destruction of

many thousands of innocent cats and dogs each year. Between one and two

thousand dogs are destroyed in Hong Kong each month by the Society for

Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) and the Agriculture and Fisheries

Department (AFCD). Although the methods of euthanasia used in Hong Kong are

better than in some countries, the whole process is barbaric besides being

ineffective. Despite the continual killing, the streets and parks of Hong

Kong still have strays who pose major hazards to themselves and the public

from bitings, diseases and collisions with vehicles. The animals themselves

endure miserable lives of hunger, disease and suffering. This situation is

not acceptable either to animal lovers or animal haters. The only people

who are content with the current situation are those who are making money

from importing, breeding and selling the excessive numbers of animals.

 

Hong Kong's current method of dog and cat population control is simply to

kill the surplus. This cruel and inhumane policy has been used for decades

and is plainly ineffective. If the present policy worked there would be no

surplus and therefore no problem. An animal control policy that does work

but has not yet been tried in Hong Kong is the control of the supply by

restricting importing, breeding and selling; introducing differential

licence fees with cheaper licences for neutered animals; and undertaking

desexing campaigns both for owned animals and strays.

 

The short name that is used for this new concept is " No Kill " . The term " No

Kill " is in some ways misleading - euthanasia will still be provided for

animals for whom there is no other solution to their distress. " No Kill " in

this context simply means using preventive methods to stop the surplus from

occurring, instead of waiting for the surplus to be produced and then

killing it. The work on this was pioneered in San Francisco twenty years

ago and the policy of controlling the birth of unwanted animals rather than

simply continuing to kill those that have already been born, has now been

successfully introduced into many other cities both in the United States and

in other countries around the world. It will be particularly exciting to

demonstrate that this humane concept is effective in Hong Kong because other

Asian cities can then be inspired to follow Hong Kong's lead.

 

The advantages of a " no kill " policy are clear: the endless round of

killings will be stopped; tax payers' money will not being spent on rounding

up and killing thousands of animals every month; there will be no homeless

suffering animals in the streets causing annoyance to humans.

 

The Hong Kong SPCA was founded eighty years ago largely to institute humane

methods of destruction, replacing the barbaric methods employed at the time.

But times have changed, the AFCD uses the same humane methods as SPCA and is

well equipped to carry out the Government policy of killing the surplus - if

that is what the Government wishes to continue to do. Today SPCA feels that

its role in this killing is no longer required and that continuing to help

kill the surplus is to be part of the problem.

 

SPCA believes that as a humane society dedicated to preventing cruelty it

should not be taking part in the killing of animals whose only fault is that

they have no home. It has decided therefore to change from being an " Open

Intake " shelter to being a " Limited Intake " one. An " Open Intake " shelter

takes every animal presented to it, finds homes for those it can find homes

for, keeps in kennels those it has kennel space for - and kills the rest.

Currently, despite huge efforts to increase homing and to build more

kennels, nearly 90% of the animals brought in have to be destroyed. As a

" Limited Intake " shelter it will only take in animals that it believes it

can find homes for.

 

So what happens to the animals that SPCA would have taken in before but will

now turn away? Every person who brings in an animal that does not fill the

criteria for acceptance will be counselled as to the choices. Sometimes

appropriate medical or behavioural treatment will solve the problem.

Sometimes a little more effort by the owner will find a new home. In cases

where the owner, despite counselling, still wishes to have the animal

killed, this can be carried out either at a private veterinary clinic or at

AFCD. There remains of course a danger that these owners will opt to throw

the animal into the harbour or abandon her in a park. This is a risk even

now and will continue to be a risk until the over-supply has been

controlled. But it has been estimated that, if the Government takes this

problem seriously and enacts effective preventive measures, the over-supply

can be reduced by 15% per year.

 

It must be emphasised that SPCA going " No Kill " on its own will solve few

problems. The aim is to make Hong Kong " No Kill " - not just the SPCA. If

SPCA does this in isolation, the killing is merely transferred elsewhere -

i.e. to AFCD. This policy change must be done in coordination with all

other interested parties - that means AFCD, the private vets and the other

animal welfare organisations. SPCA has not yet fixed a date for going " No

Kill " because it is essential that all the other necessary measures are

taken in tandem. The AFCD must reduce the importing, breeding and selling of

dogs and cats; change the licence fee structure; and back a massive

Responsible Pet Ownership (RPO) campaign which includes large-scale low cost

desexing (Spay and Neuter). [ " Spay " is the term for desexing a female

animal; " neuter " is the term for desexing a male animal].

 

Further information can be found on these web sites:

Hong Kong SPCA: http://www.spca.org.hk/

Hong Kong AFCD: http://www.afcd.gov.hk/web/index_e.htm

San Francisco SPCA: http://www.sfspca.org/

Richmond SPCA: http://www.richmondspca.org/road/road.html

Asian Animal Protection Network: http://www.aapn.org/companionanimals.html

 

Dr John Wedderburn,

Asian Animal Protection Network. Thursday, 03 January 2002.