【明報專訊】As pointed out by the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, animals, like humans, have feelings and long for protection, attention and respect. The universally accepted principles of animal welfare are the five freedoms: freedom from hunger or thirst, freedom from discomfort, freedom from pain, injury or disease, freedom to express (most) normal behavior, and freedom from fear and distress.

Euthanasia of stray cats and dogs

According to guidelines of the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD), stray cats and dogs are considered unsuitable for adoption if they are not adopted in four days, and they will be euthanized. In situations such as injuries, the animals are euthanized even in less than four days. According to a Director of Audit's Report, 487 stray dogs and 269 stray cats were euthanized in the year 2018/19. They had been in custody for zero to 93 days previously, with the average being 10 days. 47 stray cats and dogs were euthanized within 4 days.

Claudia Mo, a lawmaker from the pan-democratic camp, criticized the AFCD for its ''completely untransparent'' way in its euthanasia of stray cats and dogs, making it impossible for the public to grasp the details of the cases. She said that animal rights groups all advocate ''zero euthanasia'', a principle that Taiwan has also adopted. She said that Hong Kong was rather backward in its protection of animal rights.

Duty of care

In its suggestion for amending the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Ordinance, the government suggested the inclusion of the idea of ''duty of care'', demanding that owners of animals take good care of them. Otherwise, they could be prosecuted. An animal rights group agreed with the proposal, but it was worried that citizens might have different understandings about the related laws from the AFCD.

Dog rescue group accused of killing dogs

In South Korea it is legal to eat dog meat. Every year about one million dogs are killed in the country. CARE, an animal rescue group in South Korea, saves dogs about to be slaughtered from slaughterhouses. But a South Korean newspaper was informed by a whistleblower that the owner of the group once ordered over 230 dogs be euthanized because of the lack of space to accommodate them. That was equivalent to one fourth of the dogs saved by the group during the same period. The person in charge later admitted that because of the surge in demand for help in the year 2015, the euthanasia of a minority of dogs was inevitable (無可避免), adding that only dogs that were severely aggressive or suffering from terminal illnesses were euthanized.

Translated by Terence Yip

[通通識 第629期]