(CN - HK) No Kill City

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Wednesday, June 12, 2002 South China Morning Post

http://hongkong.scmp.com/hknews/ZZZ24MJ092D.html

 

Department rejects plea to provide pet service

by ELLA LEE

 

The Government has refused to provide a direct service to find

homes for abandoned pets despite giving official backing to a " no kill "

policy aimed at reducing the number of healthy animals destroyed in Hong

Kong.

 

The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department said there was

a lack of demand for the animals and the situation would not improve, even

if it offered the service.

 

The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) recently

issued a plan to make Hong Kong Asia's first " no-kill city " by banning the

putting down of healthy animals and forcing owners to pay to find new homes

for unwanted pets.

 

The society has set an initial target of doubling the rate for saving

abandoned pets from six per cent to 12 per cent a year. It wants the

department to provide direct services to find pets new homes and to house

abandoned pets until a new home is found for them.

 

Each year, the SPCA destroys about 10,000 healthy pets. The department

destroys another 15,000 a year, between five per cent and 20 per cent of

them surrendered by owners. The rest are captured animals, wild or semi-wild

dogs most of which are unsuitable for new homes.

 

The department's assistant director, Dr Leslie Sims, said the

Government would not provide the services. Under existing regulations, the

department is responsible for controlling stray dogs, assessing the health

of the animals it collects, and providing " buffer " homes before they are

found new homes by welfare agencies.

 

Dr Sims said: " At this stage, the SPCA and other agencies cannot take

all of the animals deemed suitable for re-homing from department centres,

largely due to a lack of demand for certain types of animals. "

 

He said the department would continue to crack down on illegal imports

of animals through a joint effort with Customs and Excise officers.

 

Over the past five years, 409 illegally imported dogs and cats had

been picked up by the authorities. Of those, 380 were recovered at the

border and 29 at the airport.

 

The SPCA has proposed a $5,000 import licence fee for an animal that

has not been neutered and a $5,000 fee every three years to keep an animal

that has not been neutered.

 

Dr Sims said the department was studying the SPCA proposal, adding

that Hong Kong was a place of free trade and there must be serious reasons

to set barriers on importing animals.

 

The SPCA has also urged the Government to stop pet shops selling dogs.

 

Dr Sims said that over the past five years, 10 people had been

prosecuted for illegal hawking of puppies and kittens.