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Following is a question by the Hon Regina Ip and a written reply by the Secretary for Food and Health, Dr York Chow, in the Legislative Council today (June 17):
Question:
Regarding the protection of the interests of animals, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) as it has been reported that in recent months, wild monkeys in Kam Shan Country Park were poached and smuggled to the Mainland for sale as food, whether the Government has looked into the latest situation and adopted measures to eradicate such activities; and
(b) as it has been reported that in support of the launch of the territory-wide cleansing campaign, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department issued a notice to public market tenants last month prohibiting them from keeping cats and dogs in the stalls, of the Government's measures in place to deal with those animals abandoned by tenants in compliance with the requirement, as well as which government department is responsible for dealing with the follow-up work concerned?
Reply:
President,
(a) Wild monkeys are protected wild animals under the Wild Animals Protection Ordinance, and the Environment Bureau is the relevant policy bureau. According to the Environment Bureau, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) conducts on-going patrolling of the Kam Shan Country Park. Animal traps had indeed been found and have been removed immediately. However, no suspected persons or monkeys being captured were found at the scene. The AFCD has stepped up patrol in Kam Shan, Lion Rock and Shing Mun Country Parks recently, and conducted joint patrol and search operations with the Police. No abnormalities have been discovered so far. The AFCD will continue to monitor the situation in country parks and take further actions if necessary.
Pursuant to the Wild Animals Protection Ordinance, any person disturbing or capturing wild monkeys unlawfully is liable upon conviction to a maximum fine of $100,000 and imprisonment for one year. The public may inform the AFCD through the Government hotline 1823 if they see such incidents. For urgent cases, they should call 999 for police assistance.
(b) Public markets are places where fresh food as well as dry and wet goods are provided for sale to the public. The keeping of cats and dogs or other pets in the stalls by market stall tenants may cause nuisances to members of the public or other tenants, or even affect the environmental hygiene of the market. In the past two years, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) received 57 complaints about nuisances caused by pets kept in the stalls by market stall tenants. The FEHD plans to include a new provision in the new public market tenancy agreement template stipulating that tenants shall not keep cats and dogs or other pets in their stalls. If tenants are found to be in breach of this new provision, they will be asked to remove the animals. Where necessary, the FEHD will contact the AFCD or the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals for follow up actions. As the Administration has decided to give a one-year extension to the existing tenancies of some 10,000 market stall tenants which are due to expire on June 30 this year, the above new provision to be included in the new tenancy agreement template will not be applicable for the time being.
Pet owners should take good care of their pets and should not abandon them at will. Under the Rabies Ordinance, any person who abandons animals commits an offence and is liable to a maximum fine of $10,000 and imprisonment for six months. Members of the public may surrender their pets to the AFCD's animal management centres in the vicinity if they plan to stop keeping their pets and are unable to arrange for their pets to be adopted by others.
Ends/Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Issued at HKT 11:50
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